All Recommendations

Good Morning
7.7

Good Morning

1959

A lighthearted take on director Yasujiro Ozu’s perennial theme of the challenges of inter­generational relationships, Good Morning tells the story of two young boys who stop speaking in protest after their parents refuse to buy a television set. Ozu weaves a wealth of subtle gags through a family portrait as rich as those of his dramatic films, mocking the foibles of the adult world through the eyes of his child protagonists. Shot in stunning color and set in a suburb of Tokyo where housewives gossip about the neighbors’ new washing machine and unemployed husbands look for work as door-to-door salesmen, this charming comedy refashions Ozu’s own silent classic I Was Born, But . . . to gently satirize consumerism in postwar Japan.

Early Summer
7.9

Early Summer

1951

A 28-year-old single woman is pressured to marry.

Silhouette of Your Voice
7.2

Silhouette of Your Voice

2017

Kohei, a deaf university student, meets lively Taichi and finds rare connection. But as their bond deepens, Kohei must confront his fear of growing too close.

Ghosts, Italian Style
6.3

Ghosts, Italian Style

1967

Pasquale and Maria, husband and wife, live in a palace supposedly haunted by ghosts and pay no rent. When Pasquale finds some food in the cupboard he thinks the ghosts are at work.

The Last Movie
5.7

The Last Movie

1971

After a film production wraps in Peru, an American wrangler decides to stay behind, witnessing how filmmaking affects the locals.

Brother and Sister
6.6

Brother and Sister

1953

The eldest daughter of a rural family Mon returns home from Tokyo pregnant after an affair with a college student Kobata, which causes a scandal that will threaten the marriage prospects of the younger sister San, in her cash-strapped family. The ill-tempered eldest brother Inokichi decides to take on the role of disciplinarian, with harrowing results.

A Wife's Heart
6.8

A Wife's Heart

1956

Kiyoko (Takamine Hideko) and her husband want to open a coffee shop. She becomes increasingly close to the bank clerk (Mifune Toshiro) she's asked for a loan.

Beyond the Forest
6.8

Beyond the Forest

1949

Rosa, the self-serving wife of a small-town doctor, gets a better offer when a wealthy big-city man insists she get a divorce and marry him instead. Soon she demonstrates she is capable of rather deplorable acts -- including murder.

Appalachian Spring
4.9

Appalachian Spring

1958

A filmed version of Aaron Copland's most famous ballet, with its original star, who also choreographed.

A.K.A. Serial Killer
5.2

A.K.A. Serial Killer

1975

AKA Serial Killer documents the social upheaval and political oppression that roiled Japan in the 1960s, profiling a nineteen-year-old serial killer Norio Nagayama. An indictment of media sensationalism, the film humanizes the young man by situating his crimes in the larger context of his environment.

The Munekata Sisters
7.0

The Munekata Sisters

1950

Setsuko is unhappily married to Mimura, an engineer with no job and a bad drinking habit. She had always been in love with Hiroshi but both of them failed to propose when Hiroshi left for France a few years ago. Now he is back and Mariko tries to reunite them. She too is secretly in love with Hiroshi.

Kaos
7.3

Kaos

1984

Five stories center on a werewolf, a feudal landlord, peasants, a ghost, and a mother and her sons.

An Autumn Afternoon
7.9

An Autumn Afternoon

1962

Shuhei Hirayama is a widower with a 24-year-old daughter. Gradually, he comes to realize that she should not be obliged to look after him for the rest of his life, so he arranges a marriage for her.

Citizens of the World
6.7

Citizens of the World

2020

Three Italian retirees embark on a journey to find a new country to live in.

Limite
7.1

Limite

1931

Adrift in the vast expanse of the ocean, a solitary boat carries three castaways—a man and two women. Stranded and devoid of any glimmer of rescue, they find solace in recounting the tales of their lives to one another. As they delve into their personal narratives, reminiscing about the circumstances that led them to this desolate predicament, they navigate through the depths of three distinct destinies. Bound by the confines of their shared space, every aspect of their existence becomes a boundary, underscoring their plight.

Boy Meets Girl
6.7

Boy Meets Girl

1984

In Paris at night, a young aspiring filmmaker grapples with heartbreak after his girlfriend leaves him for his best friend. After a failed attempt to confront his friend, he wanders the streets and encounters a girl who has just been abandoned. Their paths cross at a party, bringing together two tormented souls.

Criminal Lovers
6.5

Criminal Lovers

1999

After a perverted impulse drives them to kill, Alice and her boyfriend, Luc, drag the body into the woods, only to find themselves hopelessly lost – much like the fairy-tale plight of Hansel and Gretel. Starving and with no hope of being found, they chance upon a dilapidated cottage where a hulking man takes them prisoner and proceeds to feed Luc's sexual appetite.

I Was Born, But...
7.5

I Was Born, But...

1932

Two young brothers become the leaders of a gang of kids in their neighborhood. Ozu's charming film is a social satire that draws from the antics of childhood as well as the tragedy of maturity.

Trash Humpers
5.3

Trash Humpers

2010

Follow a small group of elderly “Peeping Toms” through the shadows and margins of an unfamiliar world. Crudely documented by the participants themselves, we follow the debased and shocking actions of a group of true sociopaths the likes of which have never been seen before. Inhabiting a world of broken dreams and beyond the limits of morality, they crash against a torn and frayed America.

The Life of Oharu
7.8

The Life of Oharu

1952

In Edo Period Japan, a noblewoman's banishment for her love affair with a lowly page signals the beginning of her inexorable fall.