Yukiko Shii Movies
- 2008
Based on the controversial but commercially successful novel Blood and Bones by Japanese-Korean author Yan Sogil, writer/director Junji Sakamoto's confrontational drama examines the devastating plight of Thai children who have become hopelessly trapped in the machinations of child prostitution and black market organ harvesting by taking a decidedly indiscriminate approach to the sensitive subject matter. These aren't crimes that are unfolding in some faraway land where little can be done to prevent them, but right in a place where they could be effectively prevented if it weren't for the oppressive apathy of the masses and their stubborn unwillingness to acknowledge the problems that exist just out of sight. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yosuke Eguchi, Satoshi Tsumabuki, (more)
- 2006
Her husband having recently suffered a fatal heart attack, a sheltered Japanese housewife attempts to make amends with the past while looking forward into the future in director/co-writer Junji Sakamoto's adaptation of Natsuo Kirino's novel Tama Mo E. Toshiko Sekiguchi (Jun Fubuki) wandered through life a somewhat withdrawn woman until the death of her husband, and she always assumed that he had been faithful until the very end. When her husband's cell phone rings on the day of his funeral, Toshiko answers the call and discovers that her husband had been conducting an affair with a middle-aged noodle restaurant owner named Akiko (Yoshiko Mita). Later, after inviting the woman by to pay her final respects to the man they both loved, Toshiko discovers that her husband had helped to finance Akiko's restaurant, and opts to gather her thoughts in a downtown hotel. On the heels of a disheartening encounter with a swindling storyteller who makes a dubious living with her gift of gab, Toshiko finally begins to discover that a little self-respect can go a long way in a country prone to excessive politeness. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jun Fubuki, Yoshiko Mita, (more)
- 2002
Junji Sakamoto directs this taut spy thriller about the real-life abduction of Kim Dae Jung -- who would later be elected president of South Korea -- from a Tokyo hotel in 1973. Major Tomita (Koichi Sato) is a Japanese intelligence officer specializing in Korean matters. While tailing a North Korean spook, he learns that his attractive Korean teacher, Lee Jeong Mi (Yang Eun-yong), has been kidnapped by the South Korean Intelligence agency. Tomita negotiates for the freedom of Lee, who he learns was previously tortured by the same agency for protesting against strongman Park Jung Hee. Meanwhile, the Korean embassy gets the orders to kill Kim Dae Jung, known also by the codename "KT," who is living in exile in Japan. Tomita finds himself caught up in the scheme, privately realizing that the plot is wrong while participating nonetheless. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Koichi Sato, Kim Kab-soo, (more)
Junji Sakamoto spins this tale of a socially inept yet indomitable woman searching for freedom and self-respect. Set in Kobe at the beginning of 1995, the film introduces Masako (Naomi Fujiyama), a withdrawn, middle-aged woman living above her mother's dry cleaning shop. She rarely leaves the house and is often tormented by her pretty younger sister. After their mother suddenly dies, the sisters' sibling rivalry takes a rather nasty turn. Immediately after the funeral, Masako strangles her sister in an explosion of rage and humiliation. Just as she stumbles into life on the run, the Kobe earthquake strikes. Terrified that the disaster is some divine retribution for her crime, she flees willy-nilly to Osaka, where, after losing her virginity to a rape, she finds shelter and eventually employment at a "love hotel." When the owner of that establishment hangs himself to escape a mountain of bad debt, Masako flees to Beppu on the southern island of Kyushu. There she falls in love with a down-and-out salesman and finds camaraderie with a world-weary bar owner. In spite of the constant air of violence and the occasional rape, Masako blossoms in her new surroundings until her past -- and the police -- start to catch up with her. This film was screened at the 2000 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Naomi Fujiyama, Etsushi Toyokawa, (more)
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