Hirofumi Arai Movies

A murder investigation reveals a deep-rooted sibling rivalry in director Miwa Nishikawa's brooding family drama. On the one-year anniversary of his mother's death, Tokyo art and fashion photographer Takeru (Joe Odagiri) returns to his small hometown in order to pay his respects. But all is not well back home, and when Takeru's authoritative father questions his sincerity, the frustrated son strikes back with accusations of violent conduct. Though the situation is initially diffused by Takeru's older brother Moniru (Teruyuki Kagawa), who stayed behind to run the family business, tensions once again start to run high when Tekeru, Moniru, and pretty childhood friend Cheiko (Yoko Maki) decide to celebrate their reunion by taking a hike in the wilderness. Tragedy strikes, however, when Takeru wanders off to photograph the landscape while Minoru and Cheiko get into a heated argument on a suspension bridge. After rejecting Minoru's advances, Cheiko falls to her death. Takeru saw nothing, and though Minoru claims responsibility for Cheiko's death the authorities still launch a full investigation. With the evidence against Minoru mounting, it quickly becomes apparent that the older sibling is deeply resentful of the fact that he was forced to remain at home with his overbearing father as Takeru departed for Tokyo and began living the good life. Cheiko's rejection was simply the last straw for Minoru, who subsequently rejects his brother's help and places himself at the mercy of the powers that be. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

After suffering years of abuse by his sadistic classmates, a vengeful Japanese boy develops a murderous alter ego in order to better deal with his traumatic past in director Yasuo Inoue's shockingly violent feature debut. As a high school student, shy Juzo was forced to endure the humiliation heaped upon him by the abusive Akai. Years later, when Juzo is hired to work at the same company where Akai is employed, he moves into the apartment directly above his former tormentor. As Juzo's revenge-minded alter ego slowly begins to eclipse his quieter, more withdrawn public persona, the people who have wronged him in the past begin to fall one-by-one to a mysterious psychopath. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Isao Yukisada spins this gritty coming-of-age tale about Sugihara (Yosuke Kubozuka), a Japanese-born, third-generation Korean who struggles to find a place in a society that will not accept him. The film begins with Sugihara studying at a Korean junior high school that is dedicated to memory of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. His father (Tsutomu Yamazaki) is a grizzled ex-boxer who recently changed his citizenship from North to South Korea so he and his wife -- Sugihara's mom (Shinobu Otake) -- could visit Hawaii. Though his father regularly gets drunk and thrashes him, he also taught Sugihara the finer point of the sweet science. At one point in the film, Sugihara takes out an entire basketball team that was bent on taking him out. Upon graduation, Sugihara enters a normal Japanese high school where he meets and soon falls for Sakurai (Kou Shibasaski) -- a loose-sock copper-haired damsel who is attracted to Sugihara's restless spirit. As the film progresses, Sugihara desperately struggles to throw off the stigma of his ethnicity and live a quiet, successful life. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi