Production Design
Struggling scriptwriter Gota Yanagida and his wife Chika have been married for ten years and live with their daughter Aki. Gota suffers in his sexless marriage and tries to make his wife happy every day, but Chika is cold to him because he earns no money. One day, Gota is approached by a film producer about his story of “a high school girl who makes udon noodles at a tremendous speed.” He needs to go to Kagawa to write the screenplay and proposes a family trip there, and Chika reluctantly joins. However, a different film project has already been decided.
Art Direction
A singular deadpan comedy, The Passion tells a story of a young woman raised in a convent named Frances-ko (Mayuko Iwasa), after Saint Francesco. Distressed by not knowing about love and sex, she calls out for a sign from above, but instead hears a voice from below. A human-faced growth speaks to her from between her legs, constantly berating her, calling out "Woman, you are worthless!" Mr. Koga, as she names it, continues the verbal abuse, yet Frances-ko somehow adapts, forming an adversarial yet symbiotic relationship. This bizarre film, based on Kaoruko Himeno's acclaimed 1997 novel of the same name, is skillfully directed by Ryoko Yoshida, lensed by veteran cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa, grounded by Iwasa's show-stopping performance and enlivened by the hilarious Kanji Furutachi, who lends his voice to the chauvinistic Koga. The soundtrack boasts an unmissable eclectic score by legendary experimental musician and composer Otomo Yoshihide.
Art Direction
Former college buddies Horaguchi and Okawa suddenly reunite on a whim after 15 years apart and try to resume their friendship by planning a trip together. Meanwhile, Okawa’s live-in girlfriend Kaede and the pair's old friend Kyoko get roped into joining them. Soon, the four head off on a trip together with the goal of sharing sukiyaki by the sea.
Production Design
Katsutoshi is forced to flee his hometown and ends up at a rundown nightclub called "Tokyo Playboy Club." His hot-headedness gets him into further trouble, and the club's waiter Takahiro and his girlfriend Eriko also get caught up in it as their underworld predicament worsens to the point of no return.
Art Direction
Two mismatched policewomen are assigned to guard and observe a released prisoner who has connections with a women-only gang who are suspected of counterfeiting.
