Starting today, Tuesday, 15 June, Japanese Film Week will be screened at the Toldi cinema, showing features in Japanese with English and Hungarian subtitles. The four films cover subjects as diverse as what to do with a batty mother and how to fix a loveless marriage.
Films run every evening between 15-18 June inclusive, starting at 6.30pm. Admission is 500 forints. Spectators must be carrying an Immunity Certificate. Although not all clips below are English-friendly, all films will be shown will English and Hungarian subtitles. Toldi cinema, District V. Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út 36-38.
Pecoross’ Mother & Her Days
This award-winning drama centres on a bald man whose vulnerable mother has dementia – and the relationship between them. The real star of the show is Nagasaki, a sad coastal city beautifully captured by 85-year-old Azuma Morisaki, Japan’s oldest film director, for whom the subject matter of ageing strikes a real chord. Based on a manga story. Tuesday, 15 June.
Show Me the Way to the Station
Adapted from a best-selling novel, this tale centres around a little girl, Sayaka, looking for her lost dog but finding empathy in Hasu, an old man with his own losses to deal with. Beautifully directed by Naoki Hashimoto, it strikes just the right tone. Wednesday, 16 June.
Restaurant from the Sky
Set amid the picturesque slopes of northern Japan, this story focuses on an ambitious cheesemaker who decides to bet the family farm on a gastronomic adventure, inspired by visiting chefs. The aim is not massive profits, however – but to share their happiness with others. Thursday, 17 June.
Only the Cat Knows
The sense being lonely in a relationship is movingly exposed in this tale of a 44-year-old marriage fallen into loveless habit. Yukiko’s fate as a faithful but unappreciated wife seems to be sealed when her beloved cat goes missing. Thursday, 18 June.
