This psychedelic, violent and sexually-charged cult classic is unlike any other in early Japanese anime, about a woman making a pact with the devil in an act of desperation.
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Belladonna of Sadness (1973)
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Tag / Japan
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Drive My Car (2021)
Three hours fly by in Hamaguchi’s gentle Cannes Best Screenplay winner—a highly-layered and nuanced take on the unresolved regrets and guilt that stay deep within us and the affordances of performance art and unlikely acquaintance as catharsis.
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Empire of Passion (1978)
Oshima confidently mixes eroticism with the supernatural in this beautifully-shot murder-cum-ghost tale that is rich in old-world atmosphere.
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Zatoichi and the Fugitives (1968)
This mostly decent 18th installment balances drama with sharp swordfighting action in what is a decidedly darker film in tone.
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In the Realm of the Senses (1976)
One of the most notorious films in the history of cinema—its explicit, unsimulated depiction of sex hides a troubling exploration of social alienation.
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I Want to Go Home (2017)
This heartfelt, partially-animated documentary centering on a Japanese man who lost his wife in the 2011 tsunami doesn’t have any pretensions and works because of its sincerity.
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Tales from Earthsea (2006)
Arguably Studio Ghibli’s weakest film, Goro Miyazaki’s debut feature is poorly-paced with a story that doesn’t sparkle, despite the beautiful, otherworldly visuals.
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Zatoichi Challenged (1967)
A terrific Zatoichi flick and one of the series’ very best, Misumi’s focus on story and characterisation is the real sleight-of-hand here in this slower but well-paced movie.
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From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
While it isn’t as narratively bold and exciting as some of Studio Ghibli’s best works, there is still an emotional story about family and complicated pasts lying within.
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Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967)
This is one of the franchise’s most daring entries—bloodier, gorier and more morally ambiguous.
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Eternality Tan 