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Nowadays, there is a standardized formula for countless Christmas movies. Recurring themes range from stories of redemption to emphasizing the warmth of a strong family bond and festive cheer. Yet, it is always fascinating to see flicks that depart from the usual holiday tropes and instead focus on an issue that may be too challenging for casual moviegoers, who prefer a more sanitized portrayal of reality for the holidays. Shutaro Oku's unusual yet effective feature, “Death of Domomata,” uses the happiest time of the year to explore recovering from drug addiction and the harsh realities that come with a dysfunctional rehabilitative environment.

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As a filmmaker, Shutaro Oku is still relatively unknown to many but has made a decent amount of films, a notable one being “Seiza.” Generally, he's more active in theater, having directed various theatrical presentations, including...

Winner of the Special Jury Award at 2015 Anchorage International Film Festival and Special Jury Remi Award at 2016 WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, “Magic Utopia” is a movie that is permeated by a sense of mystery and abstraction, with Shoji Toyama and Shuichi Tan actually focusing more on the overall atmosphere.

Magic Utopia is streaming on TodoiF

Lisa or Nao or Erika lost her mother when she was a child and is currently searching for a solace by dating different men she barely knows. One night she meets Sato, who is trapped by the memories of his friend's death, and the two end up having sex, even though another lover of hers, appears before them just as they exit the cafe they met. An elderly man, whose daughter died 17 years ago, is a successful author but lives in solitude. One day, he receives a phone call from a girl whose voice sounds exactly like his daughter.

Yohei Suzuki was born in 1984 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Graduated from Tama Art University Faculty of Art and Communication Department of Moving Images and Performing Arts. His debut feature Ow (Maru) received the Best New Director Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival and screened at New Directors/New Films 2015, Viennale and International Film Festival Rotterdam. He is currently preparing his second feature Abokke.

On the occasions of his latest film “Yeah” screening at Japan Cuts, we speak with him about the “strangeness” of his movies, the meaning of the film, his unusual approach, the struggles he faced in order to shoot it, his cooperation with Elisa Yanagi, Japanese cinema and other topics.Yeah

Both “Ow” and “Yeah” focus on individuals with troubled minds and the way families function. Why did you choose these two themes?

I thought that it would be the most appropriate theme to depict modern Japan.

Yohei Suzuki’s first feature film, “Ow” was quite weird, through a combination of surrealism, drama, and mystery. However, it seems that Suzuki had a lot more of this weirdness to present, and he does so in this 45-minute short, which definitely falls under the category of the “nonsense” movie.

“Yeah” screened at Japan Cuts 2018

A young woman named Ako walks around a sparsely populated housing estate in the rural city of Mito, where she spends her time speaking to objects and plants, occasionally yelling “Yeah” and quite frequently talking to herself. Her grip with reality is very thin, and her behaviour causes either amusement or trouble, with her brother, who is in charge of her medication, being constantly frustrated by her erratic behaviour. To her, however, the images her mind emits are real and she thinks that everyone else misunderstands her.

According to the film’s notes, “the housing...

Yohei Suzuki was born in 1984 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Graduated from Tama Art University Faculty of Art and Communication Department of Moving Images and Performing Arts. His debut feature Ow (Maru) received the Best New Director Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival and screened at New Directors/New Films 2015, Viennale and International Film Festival Rotterdam. He is currently preparing his second feature Abokke.

On the occasions of his latest film “Yeah” screening at Japan Cuts, we speak with him about the “strangeness” of his movies, the meaning of the film, his unusual approach, the struggles he faced in order to shoot it, his cooperation with Elisa Yanagi, Japanese cinema and other topics.

Both “Ow” and “Yeah” focus on individuals with troubled minds and the way families function. Why did you choose these two themes?

I thought that it would be the most appropriate theme to depict modern Japan.

Furthermore,...

Yohei Suzuki’s first feature film, “Ow” was quite weird, through a combination of surrealism, drama, and mystery. However, it seems that Suzuki had a lot more of this weirdness to present, and he does so in this 45-minute short, which definitely falls under the category of the “nonsense” movie.

“Yeah” is screening at Japan Cuts 2018

A young woman named Ako walks around a sparsely populated housing estate in the rural city of Mito, where she spends her time speaking to objects and plants, occasionally yelling “Yeah” and quite frequently talking to herself. Her grip with reality is very thin, and her behaviour causes either amusement or trouble, with her brother, who is in charge of her medication, being constantly frustrated by her erratic behaviour. To her, however, the images her mind emits are real and she thinks that everyone else misunderstands her.

According to the film’s notes, “the...

Now in its 12th year, Japan Cuts continues to grow as the largest festival of contemporary Japanese cinema in North America. Bringing a wide range of the best and hardest-to-see films made in and around Japan today — from blockbusters, independent productions and anime, to documentaries, avant-garde works, short films, and new restorations — Japan Cuts is the place to experience Japan’s dynamic film culture in New York City. Like every year, this thrilling 10-day festival offers exclusive premieres, special guest filmmakers and stars, fun-filled parties, live music and more! Tickets are on-sale now!

The festival programmers Aiko Masubuchi, Kazu Watanabe and Joel Neville Andersonhave highlighted in a note that “perhaps most strikingly, the struggle for dignity and individual rights reverberates throughout the lineup—including Lgbtq advocacy (“Of Love & Law”), reparations for government abuse (“Sennan Asbestos Disaster”) or the plight of refugees (“Passage of Life”). Additionally, multiple films deal with the...