Yûta Tsukinaga

Movies

#Manhole
Director of Photography
Kawamura Shunsuke works for a real estate company. He is usually first at first when it comes to sales. He is respected by his boss and colleagues. Kawamura Shunsuke is also set to marry the daughter of the CEO of his company. His life is going great by every metric one can think of. On the day before his wedding, his colleagues hold a surprise party for him. On his way home from the party, Kawamura Shunsuke falls into a deep manhole. When he wakes up, it is late at night and he struggles to get out of the manhole. His wedding is also fast approaching.
Small, Slow But Steady
Director of Photography
A hearing-impaired woman with dreams of becoming a professional boxer due to the pandemic is threatened closure of her boxing club and the illness of its ageing president, who has been her biggest supporter, push her to the limit.
The End of the Pale Hour
Cinematography
A young man falls in love with a woman he meets at a party, but when she leaves him, he must face some uncomfortable truths.
Any Crybabies Around?
Director of Photography
A man is caught on live national TV naked and drunk in the middle of the sacred Namahage festival, where men dressed in ogre-like costumes visit homes to scare kids into behaving during the next year. Tasuku, a young father, is ostracized for shaming the village and its tradition and flees to Tokyo alone. Two years later, he returns to his hometown to make it up to his ex-wife and their little daughter, only to find himself faced with a very difficult situation.
The Devil Wears Ju-Ni Hitoe Kimono
Cinematography
Rai, a frustrated student and part-time labourer, is wandering home after setting up a museum exhibition on the classic novel "The Tale of Genji". There is a blinding flash of light and he finds himself mysteriously time-slipped into the Heian period, the setting for the famous novel. Armed with a pamphlet on the history of the period and a bottle of headache tablets he passes as an onmyoji (magical protector of the capital) and is hired by the emperor’s wife Nyogo Kokiden. Fearless and coldly analytical she plots to have her son take over the Emperor’s position. Rai is expected to help. This light-hearted historical fantasy is a treat for lovers of sumptuous kimono.
True Mothers
Director of Photography
After a long and unsuccessful struggle to get pregnant, convinced by the discourse of an adoption association, Satoko and her husband decide to adopt a baby boy. A few years later, their parenthood is shaken by a threatening unknown girl, Hikari, who pretends to be the child's biological mother. Satoko decides to confront Hikari directly.
Little Nights, Little Love
Cinematography
Sato is an employee conducting a survey in front of Sendai Station. Saki takes the survey and the two ultimately become a couple. 10 years later, Sato proposes to Saki on the occasion of their 10th anniversary.
The Woman Who Keeps a Murderer
Director of Photography
Sexually abused as a child by her step-father, Kyoko is now an adult who lives with three other roommates, one of them a lesbian who's attracted to her. Amidst misunderstandings and more abuse at the hands of her mother, Kyoko is faced with a wave of murders, her mental state worsening.
Stolen Identity
Director of Photography
After a man accidentally leaves his smartphone in a taxi, he and his girlfriend are plagued by stalkers and cybercrimes.
Mori, The Artist's Habitat
Director of Photography
In 1974, Morikazu is 94-years-old and his wife Hideko is 76-years-old. They live at a house in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The garden at their home is full of trees, plants and insects. Morikazu paints pictures of the creatures in his garden and also observes them. This has been his daily routine for more than 30 years. Morikazu and Hideko entertain visitors every day including a photographer and the couple living next door.
Dynamite Graffiti
Director of Photography
When Suei was little, his mother had an affair with a young man who lived next door. Suei's mother and the young man killed themselves by using dynamite. After Suei graduated from high school, he worked at a factory before quitting his job. He then went to Tokyo and began working in the erotic magazine industry. Suei eventually became the chief editor of a famous erotic magazine in the 1980's.
Pumpkin and Mayonnaise
Director of Photography
Tsuchida works at a host club in secret to support her live-in boyfriend Seiichi, in order to fulfill his dream of becoming a musician. Seiichi is unemployed and falls into a slump, unable to write any songs. However, when Seiichi learns that Tsuchida became a mistress of a customer at the host club and that it was how she is earning their living expenses, he changes his mind and decides to find a job. Meanwhile,Tsuchida had an accidental reunion with Hagio, an old lover who she has been unable to forget.
Hyouka: Forbidden Secrets
Cinematography
Energy-conservative high school student Houtarou Oreki ends up with more than he bargained for when he signs up for the Classics Club at his sister's behest—especially when he realizes how deep-rooted the club's history really is. Begrudgingly, Oreki is dragged into an investigation concerning the 45-year-old mystery that surrounds the club room. Accompanied by his fellow club members, the knowledgeable Satoshi Fukube, the stern but benign Mayaka Ibara, and the ever-curious Eru Chitanda, Oreki must combat deadlines and lack of information with resourcefulness and hidden talent, in order to not only find the truth buried beneath the dust of works created years before them, but of other small side cases as well.
Night's Tightrope
Director of Photography
Yuki is a 2nd year high school student. She volunteers at a paediatrics ward for her summer vacation, because she wants to witness the moment a person dies. She got that thought after feeling envious of a transfer student's story of seeing a friend's dead body. Yuki has friend named Atsuko. She was bullied in the past and has anxiety issues. She volunteers at a nursing home for her summer vacation, hoping that she will gain courage if she sees the moment a person dies.
The Katsuragi Murder Case
Director of Photography
The Katsuragi Household that runs a small store may appear serene. But as the younger son Minoru commits a murder on the street, the family is exposed to the public. Is there anybody that is behind this murder case?
Teacher and Stray Cat
Director of Photography
Following the death of his wife professor Kyoichi leads a solitary life by the sea. A stray cat called Mii, who was being fed by his wife, not only continues to drop by, but also seems to be visiting the altar Kyoichi has set up for his deceased wife. While uncomfortable with the cat and its visits, he nonetheless takes up a search when Mii goes missing. The endeavour connects him with the town's folk and reveals that he is not alone.
Being Good
Director of Photography
Tasuku Okano is a diligent young man who was raised by decent family. He works as a new teacher at an elementary school. Tasuko deals with his students the way his head teacher told taught him, but the situation in his classroom isn't very good. He notices that one of his students might be abused, but he tries to ignore it by reasoning that he is too busy to become involved. Tasuko though feels terrible about the situation and decides to help his abused student. Masami was raised by an abusive mother. She is now violent towards her own 3-year-old daughter Ayane. Masami can't help lashing out at her daughter since her daughter was 10-months-old. When she hangs around other mothers in the park, she tries to justify her abusive manners by thinking the other mothers treat their kids the same way.
A Farewell to Jinu
Director of Photography
Takeharu Takami (Ryuhei Matsuda) is a bank teller, but he becomes allergic to money. He decides not to use money at all. Takeharu decides to move to a small village in the Tohoku region. There, he encounters residents who are not so easy.
A Drop of the Grapevine
Director of Photography
After a symphonic music career in Europe cut short by hearing loss, Ao (Oizumi Yo) returns home to run his family's farm in Hokkaido alongside younger brother Roku (Sometani Shota). Roku carries on the family legacy of wheat farming, but Ao becomes obsessed with starting a winery specializing in Pinot Noir. The brothers' troubled relationship is upset further when one day mysterious yet charming Erika (Ando Yuko) pitches camp in a neighboring field. A Drop of the Grapevine is the second of director Mishima Yukiko's Hokkaido Trilogy, an intended triptych that features the natural bounty and scenic landscapes of Japan's northern island.
Fatal Frame
Director of Photography
High school student Aya Tsukimori becomes cursed and is unable to leave her school dormitory. Meanwhile, many students begin reporting ghost sightings at the school, while others go missing and are later discovered to have drowned mysteriously. Soon, Aya attempts to communicate with fellow student Michi Kazato, who begins investigating the disappearances of her friends.
Say 'I Love You'
Director of Photography
Mei Tachibana is a high school student. Due to a traumatic incident when she was a kid, Mei has been unable to make friends or have boyfriends. By mistake, Mei then injures the most popular male student named Yamato Kurosawa. Somehow, Yamato Kurosawa likes Mei Tachibana and tells everyone unilaterally that Mei is his friend. One day, Yamato Kurosawa saves Mei Tachibana from a stalker by kissing her. From that kiss, their love story begins.
Bilocation
Director of Photography
Shinobu Takamura is an aspiring painter. One day, she is accused of using counterfeit money. Shinobu is confused by the allegation, because she never did such a thing and was at home when the crime occurred. Police Officer Kanou then appears and takes her to a place. When they get there, a group of people are already gathered. All of the people there are concerned over a doppelganger like existence that looks just like them and acts like them. They call that existence "bilocation".
Joker Game
Director of Photography
All seniors at a high school stay together at a camp, including student Chinatsu. On their first day, the home room teacher announces that all the students must play the card game "Old Maid". In order to reverse the declining academic abilities of its younger generation, the Japanese government planned this camping program. In this card game, the students that lose will meet their deaths.
The Samurai That Night
Director of Photography
Five years after a hit-and-run accident kills his wife, a distraught metalworker comes face to face with the man behind the steering wheel.
The Woodsman and the Rain
Director of Photography
A widowed lumberjack's life is turned upside down when a film crew shooting a zombie movie asks for his help and increasingly starts to rely on him.
The End of Puberty
Director of Photography
In a noisy classroom, biology teacher Madoka proceeds with his lesson in a small voice.He is unable to look the students square in the face nor admonish them for talking or sleeping in class. Only Tsubura looks upon him with a smile. Very much infatuated with Madoka, she records his idiosyncrasies in her biology notebook through illustrations--tapping his hand on his chin is proof that he is annoyed; messily tugging at his hair when he is at his wits' end. Tsubara, fearful of being forgotten after she dies, only eats things loaded with preservatives so that even if she dies, her body will not rot. Believing such things, Tsubara, thinking that "combining Mr. Madoka who has no one with me who needs someone would surely be perfect," gets the wild idea of a genital exchange with Madoka.
Tokyo Park
Director of Photography
Koji, a university student and budding photographer, is asked by a man to secretly take pictures of his wife Yurika. As a result, his relationships with a girl who visits his part-time workplace called Tominaga and his step-sister Misaki begin to change subtly.
NINIFUNI
Director of Photography
Tanaka, a man lives in the countryside, breaks into a game arcade with his friend Kato, rob the safe and runs away with the store owner's car. After straying on a highway route, he finally ends up a lonesome beach. A few days later, the idol group Momoiro Clover, visits the beach for their music video shoot, and find his car in the bush. The film takes its inspiration from a real-life case of a young man who kills himself after being involved in a violent robbery.
The Echo of Astro Boy's Footsteps
Director of Photography
The man who created the sounds of the future, legendary sound designer Matuo Ohno, most famous for his work on the 1963 animated TV show Astro Boy.
A Liar and a Broken Girl
Director of Photography
In a small rural town, a brother and sister goes missing and there's also a serial killer case involving woman as the victims. Mayu Misono (Aya Omasa) is a sophomore high school student in the town. She is called "Ma-chang". When Mayu Misono was young, she was also kidnapped and locked up. Since that time she has been traumatized and has become indifferent to everything around her. One day, in front Mayu's mansion, her childhood friend Mii-kun (Shota Sometani), who was kidnapped with Mayu, suddenly appears. Ma-chang hugs Mii-kun. Up until now, she has waited for Mii-kun. Mayu has lived in the mansion alone, until a week ago, when she kidnapped two elementary school aged kids and has kept them locked in her mansion. To hide Mayu's crime, the four of them will live together in the mansion. The truth of what happened 10 years ago becomes slowly revealed. The reason Mi-kun tries to protect Mayu, even puts his life at risk, all connects to an unexpected real criminal.
Vengeance Can Wait
Director of Photography
Director Tominaga Masanori (Pandora's Box) brings Motoya Yukiko's offbeat play Ranbo to Taiki to the big screen in a juicy, neurotic tangle of love, hate and voyeurism. Hidenori (Asano Tadanobu) and Nanase (Minami) have lived together for ten years in a tense, platonic relationship. The wheels of change are set in motion when married couple Takao (Yamada Takayuki) and Azusa (Koike Eiko) move in next door. After Hidenori catches Nanase and Takao having an affair, he becomes obsessed with watching Nanase through a peephole, and planning his cruel revenge.
Running on Empty
Director of Photography
The beautiful Azami is tired of her penniless and lazy boyfriend, Hideji. Determined to break up with him, she must first get back all the money she has given him over the years. She hatches a plot in which she fakes her own kidnapping to get Hideji to pay a ransom. Things get hilariously complicated when all parties involved act to their own agendas.
Konna otona no onnanoko
Director of Photography
Based on the comic book by Marie Abiko.
The Pavillion Salamandre
Director of Photography
Four beautiful sisters are entrusted with taking care of Kinjiro, a giant salamander and national treasure. Rumors spread that Kinjiro is an impostor, so a genius x-ray technician is sent to run some tests.
OVERTONE
Assistant Director of Photography
A young artist loses the love of his life after only a month of living together. He returns to his studio, the place of his memories of his beautiful girlfriend, who used to be a model, but the loss is so great that even when he is eating or sleeping, he has realistic illusions, as if her death was his mistake. Then one day, as if obsessed by something, he begins to make a statue of her in clay. On the night he finishes the statue, the moonlight shining into his studio breathes life into the lump of clay. And when he wakes up, he meets his beloved again...