Films with: Kagawa, Teruyuki

Hana yori mo nao

Director Hirokazu Koreeda turns the popularly held conventions of the typical samurai revenge tale on their head with this story of a man whose quest to avenge the death of his father gradually takes a back seat to his emerging role as a key figure in the community. The year is 1702, and young samurai Sozaemon Aoki (Junichi Okada) has arrived in Edo to seek revenge against Jubei Kanazawa (Tadanobu Asano). Kanazawa is the man responsible for the death of Aoki's father, and now it's up to the grieving swordsman to settle the score. When Aoki begins teaching the children of Edo to read and write, however, his bloodlust slowly begins to subside as he comes to realize the true value of his useful place in society. Upon falling in love with the beautiful Osae (Rie Miyazawa), Aoki comes to realize that although the sword may be a powerful symbol of strength, allowing oneself to fall victim to its savage allure may not always be the best way to realize one's true heroism.

DVD 12318

Tokyo sonata

Story of a contemporary Japanese family torn apart after its patriarch unexpectedly loses his job. Ashamed, he keeps this a secret, but as he grows more despondent, his family resorts to drastic measures to break away from their fractured lives.

DVD 9201

Tokyo!

Three Tokyo-set stories: A young woman finds her life useless and goes on to experience a metamorphosis. A disheveled Caucasian who calls himself "Merde" emerges from a manhole to face arrest, trial, and execution; he speaks a language only his look-alike attorney understands. A recluse experiences human contact when a pizza-delivery girl faints at his door during an earthquake.

DVD 9177