Japanese Culture

Japan has a rich movie tradition that extends way beyond anime and martial arts flicks. In fact, Japanese cinema has a history of around 100 years and is responsible for several globally recognized classics going back to the 1950s. Here are just a few that regularly feature on critics’ favourite lists.  Seven Samurai (1954) Seven Samurai, directed by Akira Kurosawa, is a landmark of Japanese cinema, running approximately 207 minutes in its original cut. Set in 16th-century Japan, it follows a group of master-less samurai hired by impoverished villagers to defend against bandits, blending intimate character drama with large-scale action. Kurosawa’s dynamic storytelling, innovative editing, and ensemble structure have profoundly influenced global filmmaking, inspiring works from westerns to modern blockbusters. Both an epic adventure and a humanist study of honor and sacrifice, it remains a cornerstone of world cinema. Shoplifters (2018) Shoplifters is a quietly devastating portrait of life on society’s margins, widely regarded as one of the defining modern Japanese classics. The film follows a makeshift family surviving in Tokyo through petty theft, whose fragile bonds are tested after they take in a neglected young girl. As their secrets gradually surface, Hirokazu Kore-eda crafts a deeply humane exploration of poverty, belonging, and moral…