The Best Films From Japan Released in 2016

Films from Japan Released In 2016

Tales of the Bizarre: Fall 2016 Special (2016)

Young-Ung was dumped by his girlfriend. While he is in Okinawa, Japan on a business trip, the company he works for goes bankrupt. Sakura is a single mother and works for a travel agency. She needs to learn Korean for her job. At a Korean language institute, Sakura meets Young-Ung and their romance begins.

My Korean Teacher (2016)

The latest discovery by a blind shell collector puts the relationship between man and nature on edge: a rare mollusc that is extremely poisonous, but has a healing and hallucinogenic effect on some people. Can people resist the creature’s temptation, or will they put their lives at risk for a heavenly trip?

The Shell Collector (2016)

The dead body of Maki Tsujimoto, a popular stage actress, is discovered in a theater in Oji. After striking her in the back of the head with a bronze statue prop, the criminal laid the body on the floor and pointed a light at it, "directing" the crime scene as if it were a scene from a play.

Odd Detective 14 (2016)

The movie depicts the confrontation between younger brother Akira Miyamoto (Shunya Shiraishi) and older brother Atsushi Miyamoto (Ryohei Suzuki) on Higanjima.

Nirvana Island: The Last 47 Days (2016)

The ever-evolving Sion Sono, who burst onto the Japanese film scene with "I Am Sion Sono!!" in 1984, has made a name for himself in world cinema as a numerous award-winner, festival favorite and provocateur. Directed by Arata Oshima, son of rebel filmmaker Nagisa Oshima, who had praised Sono's early work before his passing, this documentary gives insight into the man, the poet, the painter, the scriptwriter, the husband and the boy who will eventually grow up to be the Sion Sono. Lineage, history and the past meeting the present are themes in this film in which Oshima connects the dots in Sono's creative life by taking the camera to the site of his upbringing and following the production of his most recent film "The Whispering Star," also screening at this year's JAPAN CUTS. -JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film

The Sion Sono (2016)

Following a rampage of extreme prejudice, a savage killer targets women as he tries to find a compatible one to engage his fantasies of torture and murder in. With the body count mounting and no one being able to stop him, he grows bolder and goes to more extreme measures to carry out his rampage, eventually catching the eye of a female serial killer who's just as sadistic as he is, forcing them into a deadly and dangerous showdown.

Brutal (2017)

After having narrowly escaped an attempt on his life at the hands of a psychopath, detective inspector Takakura quits active service in the police force and takes up a position as a university lecturer in criminal psychology. But his desire to get to the bottom of criminals’ motives remains, and he does not hesitate long when former colleague Nogami asks him to reopen an old case.

Creepy (2016)

Schoolteacher Yohei is married to Miyoko. For the first time in 25 years they begin to live by themselves when their son marries and moves out. Then Yohei discovers that all’s not well in his marriage.

A Loving Husband (2016)

Kenji and Aya spend their summer days in a Hotel. While she is doing her own thing, he tries to work on his novel. But then a few strange hotel guest arouse the curiosity of the couple...

While the Women Are Sleeping (2016)