Sway

Did the rope bridge sway causing Cheiko (Yoko Maki) to slip or was she pushed by Minoru (Teruyuki Kagawa)? The film revolves around this incident with the main protagonist, Takeru (Jô Odagiri), Minoru's brother playing the observer. A slow deliberate drama that throws death into familial tensions spiced with love life of the brothers. Watching the film is like walking slowly across the rope bridge that features so prominently in the film. If you are not careful, you will find yourself swaying.

Rating: * * *

Bright Future

Kogi K's favourite actor Tadanobu Asano stars as an anarchist, 20 something, young-nothing - whose only objective in life, it seems, is to deliver the poisonous red jellyfish into the Tokyo water system. Along with his spaced out friend and the meaningless routine of their daily life, the movie settles early, and elegantly, into an other worldly feel which apparently is the hallmark of director Kiyoshi Kurosawa. The movie also features another legend of Japanese movies, Tatsuya Fuji as the father of Asano's character - who takes a keen interest in the zombie friend as he struggles to exist. But where does it take us? Down to an issue that Kurosawa seems to grapple with - the eternal conflict between 2 generations. Well..

Rating: * * +

Scrap Heaven

Shingo (Ryo Kase) is a cop who feels that he is a waste of space, thanks to his failure to stop a bus hijacking. But all that changes when he meets Tetsu (Jô Odagiri), a professional bathroom cleaner, who was shot during the hijack. The duo floats a revenge for hire startup and unleashes a pocketful of chaos. Chiaki Kuriyama of Kill Bill fame also makes an appearance in this film which has the echoes of Fight Club rippling through.

Rating: * * +