Dolls / Dorozu (2002)

I had not originally intended to write about Takeshi Kitano's Dolls, since it had wide international release and has been often discussed by other writers. However, after I have now seen hundreds of other Japanese movies, the film seems to take on a different significance than when I first saw it. Dolls was not the …

Scene at the Sea / Ano natsu, ichiban shizukana umi (1991)

A young deaf-mute man decides he wants to be a surfer and is followed on his quest by his deaf-mute girlfriend. Nothing could be more likely to become a tear-filled journey, probably to ultimate success and love. But from the very first shot of two young men blankly staring straight ahead into the camera, it …