10 Movies to Watch at Japan Cuts 2025

      Featuring international premieres, short programs, and some of the nation's best films in newly restored versions, Japan Cuts 2025 is set to take place from July 10-20 at New York's Japan Society. As one of the few festivals in North America dedicated to showcasing new talents in Japanese cinema, this is likely your only chance to view many of these titles in a theater setting. While the selection may feel overwhelming, we're happy to simplify things for you, offering insights into works from established directors like Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Takashi Miike, as well as emerging talents and a selection of classic films that deserve their restorations.

      **Blazing Fists (Takashi Miike)**

      It's difficult to determine what’s more impressive about Takashi Miike these days: his relentless output (his latest release, a television movie remake of the long-running series Unfettered Shogun, launched just four weeks ago) or the evident joy he derives from his work. Blazing Fists marks Miike's hundredth film, telling a story of honor and loyalty that begins with Ikutu (Danhi Kinoshita), a young man who punches another through a glass door. Set in a juvenile detention center, this confrontation will lead Ikutu and the man he's defending, Ryoma (Kaname Yoshizawa), on a journey to best friendship. Their bond will carry into the outside world, where they dream of participating in a televised UFC-style event called Breaking Down. Yagura, the film's occasional narrator, is also secretly serving time for holding up Ikutu's father with a knife. If this isn’t genuine pulp fiction, I don’t know what is. – Rory O. (full review)

      **Four Films by Kiyoshi Kurosawa**

      Kiyoshi Kurosawa has never been one to take his time with projects, and even during periods of fewer films, concerns about whether Japan's top filmmaker might be slowing down would emerge; however, this current phase has been particularly prolific. With Cloud slated for release on July 18, Japan Cuts will showcase Kurosawa’s action thriller in its New York premiere, along with the even better, currently-unreleased Serpent’s Path, which makes a long-awaited appearance. The Classics section features a restored version of the original Serpent, a standout among Kurosawa’s works related to the forthcoming 2024 film, as well as his slow-burn character study, License to Live, screening on an extraordinarily rare 35mm print that many would assume doesn’t exist. – Nick N.

      **A Girl Named Ann (Yu Irie)**

      A Girl Named Ann is well-meaning, much like many films focusing on themes of child abuse, drug addiction, and poverty. However, it often veers into melodrama reminiscent of Tracy Morgan’s parody film Hard to Watch. The film treads familiar ground as it follows Ann, a young girl exploited by her mother to support her addiction, and at times it extracts sympathy in ways that feel unjust to her character and simplistic in plot development—such as a moment when Ann’s mother confronts staff at the care facility in an attempt to reclaim her. There’s an intriguing subplot involving Ann’s two guardians, one a journalist and the other a hardened detective, who find themselves in competition, but this storyline feels underdeveloped and is resolved too hastily. Within this narrative exist threads of a genuinely poignant film that become tangled in the quest for dramatic storytelling filled with twists and exaggerated suffering. – Soham G.

      **Love Letter (Shunji Iwai)**

      Shunji Iwai's debut feature Love Letter is characterized by its ethereal lighting and a cast of gentle, introspective characters reminiscing about personal tragedies, creating a cinematic experience akin to a warm embrace. This film navigates the delicate balance of pain and comfort, skillfully embodied by Miho Nakayama in her dual roles as Hiroko and Itsuki, anonymous pen-pals intertwined by a mysterious past. In confronting the loss of a loved one, Nakayama adeptly distinguishes the various types of grief and reconciliation required between the love for a husband and affection for an acquaintance, allowing Iwai’s film to emerge as a uniquely nuanced exploration of human connection. Its straightforward narrative, an unusual choice for a filmmaker known for bold experimental techniques, should not be mistaken for a lack of depth. Love Letter presents a warm and charming debut. – Soham G.

      **A Samurai in Time (Jun’ichi Yasuda)**

      A film like A Samurai in Time, which tells the story of a samurai inexplicably transported to modern Japan after being struck by lightning, could easily exhaust its comedic premise within the first 30 minutes. Yet, Makiya Yamaguchi's remarkably passionate and convincing performance as Kosaka Shinzaemon, a revered warrior from the Aizu clan in pre-Meiji Japan, transforms the film’s absurd premise into something both