Yoshihiro Nagata Movies
- 2008
A passionate young man gets a crash course in the ways of love in this romantic comedy-drama from Japanese auteur Nami Iguchi. Mirume (Kenichi Matsuyama) is a nineteen-year-old student pursuing a degree in art at a college outside Tokyo. Mirume signs up for a printmaking class, and the handsome young artist makes a major impression on Yuri (Hiromi Nagasaku), an attractive professor in her mid-thirties who is teaching the course. Yuri seduces naïve Mirume, and before long he's convinced that she's the love of his life. When school shuts down for the summer break, Yuri heads north to her home in Kiryu City, and after uncovering her address, Mirume follows her home. Mirume arrives at Yuri's house to discover she has a husband (Morio Agata) who doesn't understand the purpose of Mirume's visit, and as the evening wears on, Mirume becomes increasingly reluctant to accept that Yuri wanted nothing more than a brief fling. Meanwhile, Mirume's infatuation with Yuri doesn't set well with En (Yu Aoi), one of his classmates who is clearly attracted to him. Hito no sekkusu o waruna (aka Don't Laugh At My Romance) was an official selection at the 2008 Hong Kong Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hiromi Nagasaku, Kenichi Matsuyama, (more)
- 2006
Suffering from manic depression and looking to start life anew in a small suburban community, a manic depressive thirty-something finds solace in the company of her recently-divorced cousin in director Ryuichi Hiroki's intimate psychological drama. Yuko (Shinobu Terashima) has walked away from her life and her job in a desperate bid to seek happiness outside of her comfort zone. Though her friendships with various men including a depressive yakuza and a former classmate suffering from erectile dysfunction does provide some relief from her mental malaise, Yuko soon begins to suspect that she may be slipping into another deep depression. When Yuko's cousin Shoichi shows up on her doorstep having just suffered through a nasty divorce, Shoichi's willingness to assume the role of caretaker to his ailing cousin inspires both parties to take emotional stock of their lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shinobu Terashima, Etsushi Toyokawa, (more)
