A drama director who can't be pinned down to a particular niche, yet always manages to inject signature elements into his films. He hasn't directed too many standouts so far, but amassed a solid, quality oeuvre with hardly a slip-up.
Movies
Ten Nights of Dreams
A wonderful collection of shorts, visually pleasing, fun to watch and from time to time refreshingly weird.
I'm not a big Yamashita fan, but this mix of absurd comedy and social drama is quite something else. It kept me guessing from start to finish, it held quite a few positive surprises and the ending is simply perfect, even though it doesn't really resolve anything. Hard-Core is a very pleasant surprise, though I'm sure it's not for everyone.
A very warm and gentle Yamashita film. Turbulent teenage emotions shine through in small gestures and meaningful stares, held in check by the idyllic charm of a peaceful, rural town. It's a pretty typical Japanese coming of age drama, but executed with such finesse that I loved every single minute of it.
This would've been a perfect late addition to the Duel project (that's Aragami and 2LDK). A fixed location, two people stuck with each other, and an increasingly tense narrative. Confession isn't quite as good as its predecessors, but it's certainly a lot of fun for people who like this kind of thing. The story is simple enough, but a couple of well-timed revelations and two leads who are becoming increasingly disjointed make an entertaining genre romp. The runtime is perfect, the finale is fitting and Yamashita proves once again that he can just about handle any type of story.Read all
A fun and unique anime about a girl who ends up spending her summer with a cat who behaves and talks like a human being. And nobody seems to mind (because he's a ghost cat after all). If you're willing to accept the film's reality, this is a quirky and loveable fantasy animation, though without that final touch to make it truly spectacular. The rotoscoping is nice and the background drawings are perfect for catching that rural summery vibe. The characters are cute, the story is interesting and the pacing is slick, but the finale is a little underwhelming, especially when comparing it to other films of its kind. Still, a worthwhile experiment by Yamashita.Read all
One of those films about a boring summer that will one day feel nostalgic for the four protagonists, even though none of them is enjoying their afternoon activity. It's not the most notable drama, Japan makes a lot of these films every year, but Yamashita finds the right moments to make it memorable. The original script was written by a high school student, which adds a bit of realism, though it also explains why some of the dialogue feels a little forced. The performances are nice, the setting is fun, and the pacing, while slow and lingering, is fitting. It's a pleasant little drama, just nothing too earth-shattering.Read all
One Second Ahead, One Second Behind
A remake of a Taiwanese film, though the niche itself is decidedly Japanese. Romance with a dash of fantasy, it's a rather odd combo, but it's pretty popular and the past decade or so has seen a relatively constant stream of films like this. I'm not the biggest fan, but they're rarely bad, and Nobuhiro Yamashita is an accomplished director. The performances are decent, the mood is light and the setup is pretty funny, even though the rest of the film is rather predictable. Two hours is a bit much, then again, that seems to be some kind of standard for Japanese cinema. Nice filler, with some pleasant moments, but not Yamashita's best.Read all
A light but fun and enjoyable Yamashita. It's certainly not his most distinctive film, nor his most memorable, but thanks to the deadpan comedy, the well-considered direction and a standout performance by Ryûhei Matsuda this turned out to be a very capable and charming little film. Matsuda's character is a hoot. A calm, calculated and sneaky oddball who uses his philosophy learnings to trick people into getting what he wants. The rest of the cast is on point too, the cinematography is bright and colorful, the comedy has just the tiniest mean streak and there's a little drama to pad out the narrative. Prime filler.Read all
Solid drama about two people trying to build something new from the rubble of their past lives. Yu Aoi and Jo Odagiri put in spectacular performance, sadly the rest of the film can't quite keep up with them. Still worth a shot though, there's plenty to like here.
A very dry mix of comedy and drama, though don't expect too many overt laughs. The main character of the film is rather tragic, a loner whose family fell apart after his father was apprehended for a sex crime. Kanta is a dayworker, spends his money on booze and prostitutes and has no tangible goals in life. Kanta's luck seems to be changing when he meets Shoji, a more composed character who moved to Tokyo to attend school there. Things are looking up, but Kanta's troubled past is going to prove hard to overcome. If that sounds pretty dramatic, nihilistic even, it's because it is, but Yamashita's execution makes it bearable. Some colorful characters and slightly absurd situations give the film a somewhat lighter tone. The cinematography is decent but nothing too special, the same goes for the soundtrack. Performances are strong though and give the characters the necessary weight. All in all a pretty good film, but it lacks something that makes it truly stand out.Read all
Yamashita likes it dry and just a little absurd, which isn't always the easiest sell. The Matsugane Potshot Affair is a film that illustrates his style very well. Essentially a comedy, mixed with some crime elements, but I wouldn't be surprised if some people mistake it for a drama (or are simply too confused to stick a genre to it). The film follows the affairs of the people in a remote mountain town, where everyday life is just a little cruder and rudimentary compared to the city. When one morning the police are faced with a hit-and-run victim, the ball gets rolling and the townspeople's lives are set to get a bit more interesting, even though they seem mostly unfazed by the events. Think of this as A Simple Plan in Japan and you might get a decent idea of where the film is headed. Performances are solid, the cinematography is decent, the score a little underwhelming. All in all it's a pretty good time, if you like dry/dark comedy and you don't mind some slight absurdities, though don't expect anything too weird or out there.Read all
Early Yamashita. If you're familiar with his other films, you'll easily see some of his trademark elements popping up. No One's Ark is a deadpan drama with some absurd moments scattered throughout. It's a bit raw and unpolished still, but fans of Yamashita's later films should give this one a shot. Odd characters, weird turns, twists, and some completely bonkers moments add some comedy to the drama but don't expect to laugh out loud. The pacing is slow, the performances dry and the drama a little hermetic. It's a tough little cookie, but knowing what to expect, I had good fun with it.Read all
A delightfully dry and elegantly absurd little comedy. There's nothing grand or particularly ambitious about Yamashito's film, but that's hardly a problem when you're happy to settle for an enjoyable 90 minutes. The biggest hurdle for Ramblers is that the comedy won't be to everyone's taste. If you're a little unsure about what to expect, think of a slightly less animated Kitano comedy, without the crime elements. Just two guys who end up in a dull little village and wander around, hoping to catch a break. Of course, they never do, but they get into some pretty odd situations that are good for a couple of healthy chuckles. Visually it's not Yamashita's best, but at least the camera is nice, and he makes good use of the setting. The actors are pretty hilarious without being explicitly funny and the film is so short that the slow and deliberate pacing doesn't get in the way of the fun. It's a very nice showcase of Yamashita's knack for dry comedy.Read all
A decent but pretty standard drama from Nobuhiro Yamashita. Japanese music-based dramas generally aren't the most original ones, and Yamashita does little to bend that tradition. While his qualities do surface from time to time, there's not quite enough here to set itself apart from the many films that came before. Nikaido and Shibutani put in solid performances, there are some small dramatic moments that stand out and the finale is on point, other than that though the music bits aren't that great, the story shoots off in different directions and the film fails to make a real mark. A somewhat inconspicuous entry in Yamashita oeuvre.Read all
A decent enough drama, but My Back Page is a bit long in the tooth, and feels a bit safe for a film about the student protests. If you've seen a couple of Wakamatsu's films, you know stories like these deserve a slightly cruder edge. It's not a bad film, it's just that it doesn't quite line up with its subject matter. The performances are solid and the presentation is clean, though both are also a little on the safe side. The political situation of '69 has been covered many times before, My Back Page doesn't really add anything substantial, which is a little disappointing for a film that crosses the 2-hour mark. Still, there's enough quality there to keep things interesting.Read all
Somewhat tepid and dire school club drama from Japan. The music as well as the direction is terribly mediocre, the acting is okay but not quite noteworthy. There are a few half-decent moments, but not enough to fill almost two hours of film. I'm usually a big fan of Japanese dramas, but this was pretty disappointing.