The Sadness In Japanese Films
by aghaemi | created - 06 Aug 2017 | updated - 10 months ago | PublicBecause Your Life Is Not Real Enough Japanese Films To Drive You To Depths Of Sadness Like No Other.
Caution: Stay Away If You Are Fond Of Films From Disney, Think Marvel's Monthly Release Schedule Features Cool Acting, Look Forward To The Next Fifteen Star Wars 'Franchise' Flicks Or Count Adam Sandler, Scarlet Johansson, Jeff Goldblum Et Al As Having Merit.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Tokyo Story (1953)
Not Rated | 136 min | Drama
An old couple visit their children and grandchildren in the city, but receive little attention.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Chishû Ryû, Chieko Higashiyama, Sô Yamamura, Setsuko Hara
Votes: 68,467
2. Like Someone in Love (2012)
Not Rated | 109 min | Drama
In Tokyo, a young sex worker develops an unexpected connection with a widower over a period of two days.
Directors: Abbas Kiarostami, Banafsheh Modaressi | Stars: Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno, Ryô Kase, Denden
Votes: 13,070 | Gross: $0.22M
3. Dolls (2002)
114 min | Drama, Romance
Three stories of never-ending love.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Miho Kanno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tatsuya Mihashi, Kyôko Fukada
Votes: 17,351 | Gross: $0.00M
4. The Life of Oharu (1952)
Not Rated | 133 min | Drama
Follows a woman's fight and survival amid the vicissitudes of life and the cruelty of society.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Kinuyo Tanaka, Tsukie Matsuura, Ichirô Sugai, Toshirô Mifune
Votes: 7,638
5. The Sea Is Watching (2002)
R | 119 min | Romance, Drama
O-Shin is a young brothel worker who, one night, helps a young samurai escape from his pursuers. Against the warnings of her fellow workers, particularly Kikuno and the brothel's owner, O-Shin falls in love with the samurai.
Director: Kei Kumai | Stars: Misa Shimizu, Nagiko Tôno, Masatoshi Nagase, Hidetaka Yoshioka
Votes: 1,605
6. Tony Takitani (2004)
75 min | Drama
When technical illustrator Tony Takitani asks his wife to resist her all-consuming obsession for designer clothes, the consequences are tragic.
Director: Jun Ichikawa | Stars: Issei Ogata, Rie Miyazawa, Shinohara Takahumi, Hidetoshi Nishijima
Votes: 4,937
7. Penance (2012)
270 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
The murder of a young girl is never solved. Her mother who is torn by grief puts a curse on the four of the girl's classmates. These four girls are forced into adulthood which eventually triggers a tragic chain of events.
Stars: Kyôko Koizumi, Hazuki Kimura, Manatsu Kimura, Kyôka Shibata
Votes: 1,197
8. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Not Rated | 89 min | Animation, Drama, War
A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.
Director: Isao Takahata | Stars: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi, Yoshiko Shinohara
Votes: 309,872
9. Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
Not Rated | 124 min | Drama
In medieval Japan, a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up amid suffering and oppression.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyôko Kagawa, Eitarô Shindô
Votes: 18,205
10. Harmonium (2016)
Not Rated | 120 min | Drama
Toshio hires Yasaka in his workshop. This old acquaintance, who has just been released from prison, begins to meddle in Toshio's family life.
Director: Kôji Fukada | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Mariko Tsutsui, Taiga Nakano, Momone Shinokawa
Votes: 2,904 | Gross: $0.02M
11. Wolf Children (2012)
PG | 117 min | Animation, Drama, Family
After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident while hunting for food for their children, a young woman must find ways to raise the werewolf son and daughter that she had with him while keeping their trait hidden from society.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Aoi Miyazaki, Takao Osawa, Haru Kuroki, Yukito Nishii
Votes: 49,408
12. Harakiri (1962)
Not Rated | 133 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
When a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita, Tetsurô Tanba
Votes: 68,480
13. The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (I) (1959)
Not Rated | 208 min | Drama, History, War
A Japanese pacifist, unable to face the dire consequences of conscientious objection, is transformed by his attempts to compromise with the demands of war-time Japan.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Chikage Awashima, Ineko Arima
Votes: 9,338
14. The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity (II) (1959)
Not Rated | 181 min | Drama, History, War
As a conscript in war-time Japan's military, a pacifist struggles to maintain his determination to keep his ideals.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Kokinji Katsura, Jun Tatara
Votes: 7,484
15. The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961)
Not Rated | 190 min | Drama, History, War
His ideals challenged by life as a conscript in war-time Japan's military, a pacifist faces ever greater tests in his fight for survival.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Tamao Nakamura, Yûsuke Kawazu
Votes: 7,308
16. Tokyo Twilight (1957)
Not Rated | 140 min | Drama
Two sisters find out the existence of their long-lost mother, but the younger cannot take the truth of being abandoned as a child.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Setsuko Hara, Ineko Arima, Chishû Ryû, Isuzu Yamada
Votes: 4,907
17. Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog (2004)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama
As a Labrador puppy, Quill is sent to live with a couple, Isamu and Mitsuko Nii, who work as volunteers, training guide dogs (seeing eye dogs). When he grows to an adult dog, he is taken to... See full summary »
Director: Yôichi Sai | Stars: Kaoru Kobayashi, Kippei Shîna, Teruyuki Kagawa, Keiko Toda
Votes: 1,765 | Gross: $0.01M
18. Hachi-ko (1987)
107 min | Biography, Drama, Family
The true story about a dog's loyalty to its master, even after his death.
Director: Seijirô Kôyama | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Kaoru Yachigusa, Toshinori Omi, Toshirô Yanagiba
Votes: 5,822
19. The Twilight Samurai (2002)
129 min | Drama, Romance
As the feudal Japan era draws to a close, a widower samurai experiences difficulty balancing clan loyalties, 2 young daughters, an aged mother, and the sudden reappearance of his childhood sweetheart.
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, Nenji Kobayashi, Ren Ôsugi
Votes: 25,454
20. Kabei: Our Mother (2008)
Not Rated | 133 min | Drama
Based on childhood days of Teruyo Nogami.
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Mayumi Tanaka, Chieko Baishô, Mirai Shida
Votes: 1,516 | Gross: $0.01M
21. About Her Brother (I) (2010)
126 min | Drama
Ginko seems to be living the good life: She's the respectable owner of a neighborhood drug store in Tokyo, and her daughter Koharu is about to get married to a doctor. However, Koharu's ... See full summary »
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Sayuri Yoshinaga, Tsurube Shôfukutei, Yû Aoi, Ryô Kase
Votes: 850
22. If Cats Disappeared from the World (2016)
103 min | Drama, Fantasy
Young mailman finds out he has no time left due to a terminal disease. Suddenly he is approached by a devil that offers him to live more time if he eliminates something from the world. ... See full summary »
Director: Akira Nagai | Stars: Mauro Caiazza, Gaku Hamada, Mieko Harada, Anna Ishii
Votes: 2,919
23. One Million Yen Girl (2008)
121 min | Drama
A 21-year-old girl is released from prison, only to deal with the neighborhood gossip about her and family conflicts. She decides to save one million yen, move to where no one knows her and keep repeating the process.
Director: Yuki Tanada | Stars: Yû Aoi, Mirai Moriyama, Pierre Taki, Terunosuke Takezai
Votes: 1,693
24. Nobody Knows (2004)
PG-13 | 141 min | Drama
In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Yûya Yagira, Ayu Kitaura, Hiei Kimura, Momoko Shimizu
Votes: 31,344 | Gross: $0.68M
25. The Pleasures of the Flesh (1965)
104 min | Crime, Drama
After Atsushi commits murder, he is blackmailed into keeping a suitcase full of embezzled money. What follows is a descent into lustful, reckless actions and regret.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Katsuo Nakamura, Mariko Kaga, Yumiko Nogawa, Masako Yagi
Votes: 1,710
26. Door to Door (2009 TV Movie)
123 min | Drama
Real story about about a man who was told for many years that he was not employable, but threw all of his effort into working as a door-to-door salesman. Despite the pain attributed to his ... See full summary »
Director: Ken Yoshida | Stars: Kazunari Ninomiya, Rosa Katô, Ikkei Watanabe, Akio Kaneda
Votes: 123
27. Sweet Bean (2015)
Not Rated | 113 min | Drama
Burdened with a heavy and ever-increasing debt, a dorayaki baker hires a kind ageing woman, after tasting her delicious surprise. Little by little, she unravels her beautiful inner world. Could she be holding the secret to his success?
Director: Naomi Kawase | Stars: Kirin Kiki, Masatoshi Nagase, Kyara Uchida, Miki Mizuno
Votes: 12,689 | Gross: $0.12M
28. My Little Sweet Pea (2013)
95 min | Comedy, Drama
Since her father died, Mugiko lives with her older brother, Norio. Her mother Ayako left home when she was little and never come back. But one day,she suddenly appears. What will happen to this estranged family?
Director: Keisuke Yoshida | Stars: Maki Horikita, Ryûhei Matsuda, Kimiko Yo, Yumi Asô
Votes: 238
29. Life Back Then (2011)
131 min | Drama
Two young lonely people form a bond as they go through the homes of the recently departed people.
Director: Takahisa Zeze | Stars: Masaki Okada, Nana Eikura, Takuro Atsuki, Rei Dan
Votes: 144
30. Cold Bloom (2012)
120 min | Drama, Romance
A young woman Shiori faces an accidental death of her beloved husband at a local industrial town, recovering from the 3.11 Tsunami disaster. Once detesting, Shiori is hesitant to admit her ... See full summary »
Director: Atsushi Funahashi | Stars: Asami Usuda, Takahiro Miura, Yô Takahashi, Mari Hayashida
Votes: 78
31. Dear Friends (2007)
115 min | Drama
Rina is the it girl. She is thin, has long hair, is flaunting and dresses attractively. Every man wants to be with her and every woman wants to be like her. She also happens to be ... See full summary »
Director: Kazuyuki Morosawa | Stars: Kentaro Arai, Avery Fane, Masaya Kikawada, Keiko Kitagawa
Votes: 444
32. Nani ga kanojo o sô saseta ka (1930)
85 min | Drama
A girl sets out on a lonely journey when a father decides it is best for his young daughter to go live with his brother and her uncle. The trek begins on a train, but has to continue on ... See full summary »
Directors: Shigeyoshi Suzuki, Yoneo Ota | Stars: Keiko Takatsu, Rintarô Fujima, Yôyô Kojima, Hidekatsu Maki
Votes: 199
33. Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016)
125 min | Drama
A strict, but caring mother has an awakening when she is told she has cancer and it is terminal. She has a few months. She needs to complete her tasks in that short time frame.
Director: Ryôta Nakano | Stars: Rie Miyazawa, Hana Sugisaki, Aoi Itô, Yukiko Shinohara
Votes: 2,468
34. Attamara sentô (2016)
Comedy, Romance
A schoolboy has a crush on his pretty class-mate Keiko on the inland island of Awaji. He figures her routine of taking baths at the public one is a good way to get to know her, but he first... See full summary »
Director: Yasutaka Ohtsugi | Stars: Chieko Matsubara, Takashi Sasano, Kenta Sasano, Mona Nakao
Votes: 11
35. The House Where the Mermaid Sleeps (2018)
120 min | Drama
Separated mother Kaoruko awaits the graduation of their daughter for the divorce proceedings to begin and subsequently be finalized. Tragedy strikes when the daughter will never graduate. She is comatose and brain dead due to an accident.
Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi | Stars: Ryôko Shinohara, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Kentarô Sakaguchi, Rina Kawaei
Votes: 339
36. Voices in the Wind (2020)
139 min | Drama
Inspired by an actual occurrence in Japan Haru who has relocated to Hiroshima in southern Japan comes across a rogue telephone booth in the middle of nowhere when she returns to Iwate ... See full summary »
Director: Nobuhiro Suwa | Stars: Shoko Ikezu, Shinsuke Kato, Tomokazu Miura, Serena Motola
Votes: 469
37. Peperoncino (2021 TV Movie)
60 min | Drama, Romance
It has been ten years since the earthquake and tsunami that devastated much of coastal eastern Japan. Many died. Many of the survivors do not wish to remember. A couple send out special ... See full summary »
Stars: Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Jun Kunimura, Yoh Yoshida, Akiko Yada
Votes: 8
38. Neko (2020)
Drama
She has only a short time left. She is scared and alone and yet has to push through every day and soldier on despite not knowing if tomorrow comes. A chance meeting thanks to a cat brings ... See full summary »
Stars: Sakurako Konishi, Oshiro Maeda, Tasuku Nagaoka, Kiyohiko Shibukawa
Votes: 5
39. Sky of Love (2007)
120 min | Drama, Romance
Mika is a fresh high school student who starts texting a mysterious boy. She is shocked when he reveals who he is - Hiro, a delinquent attending her school. What she doesn't know is that Hiro isn't as bad as he seems.
Director: Natsuki Imai | Stars: Yui Aragaki, Haruma Miura, Yûko Asano, Yôsuke Asari
Votes: 3,757
Tell Your Friends