From ‘Oppenheimer’ to ‘All of Us Strangers’: Cinematic Highlights of Early 2024″

From Jeff Nichols to Hiroshi Okuyama: Anticipated Films for the Second Half of the Year

-Are there any films of interest for the second half of the year?

Osanai: First of all, ‘The Bikeriders’ (directed by Jeff Nichols). You are also looking forward to this film, aren’t you, Mr. Kizu?

Kizu: I am looking forward to it!

Osanai:

I didn’t expect a Japanese release to be confirmed so early, so I’m relieved that it’s set for fall 2024. I’m a big fan of director Jeff Nichols and consider him one of the most important contemporary American filmmakers. It seems his new film was challenging to make, as there’s been a bit of a gap since his last film, ‘Loving’ (2016), but I’m really looking forward to it.

From the early reviews, I’ve seen it described as ‘a Jodie Comer film,’ and that’s something I’m excited about. She had a great year last year with her solo play ‘Prima Facie’ at the National Theatre Live, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play at the 76th Tony Awards. She’s on a roll with everything she does, so I’m also looking forward to seeing her performance in a Jeff Nichols film.

-Jeff Nichols has a knack for portraying men effectively, so I’m definitely curious to see how he portrays women.

Osanai: Next, I’m also interested in A24’s films like ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ (directed by Rose Glass), ‘Civil War’ (directed by Alex Garland), and ‘Sing Sing’ (directed by Greg Kwedar). Since Happinet is now distributing them, I hope they come to Japan soon without much delay. ‘Civil War’ has been making waves internationally, and I wanted to see it on the big screen here too [laughs].

Osanai: Also, in Japanese cinema, I had the opportunity to see ‘My Sunshine’ (directed by Hiroshi Okuyama) early at a preview screening, and I was deeply moved. It’s a film that strikes a chord with adult audiences in a way different from the trailer, as you mentioned earlier, a “movie that delivers on a personal level.”

Kizu: I also saw Todd Haynes’ ‘May December’ during a preview, and found it very interesting. It’s a film that showcases Todd Haynes’ skill in portraying actresses. Inspired by a true story where a 13-year-old boy and a 36-year-old woman had a sexual relationship, culminating in the woman giving birth in prison, the plot is quite intricate. Natalie Portman plays the actress who is cast in the role of this woman, and goes to interview the woman who gave birth in prison (played by Julianne Moore). The film explores the ethical complexities inherent in filmmaking, including the actors themselves, and portrays Natalie Portman’s descent into artistic obsession akin to ‘Black Swan’ (directed by Darren Aronofsky, 2010).

Kizu: As for Gu Xiaogang’s ‘Dwelling by the West Lake,’ Chinese cinema, like French cinema, has seen interesting developments in recent years, with emerging new-generation filmmakers. Gu Xiaogang, known for lyrical and lyrical works such as ‘Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains’ (2021), is one of them, so I’m looking forward to this new work.

I currently think it’s a good time to watch films from outside the United States. I mentioned in “Love Pretender” earlier that I’m a bit concerned about American films right now. In recent years, there’s been a trend where films winning at the Academy Awards and the three major European film festivals are increasingly overlapping. This is partly due to an increase in European and Asian members in the Academy, but I also think it reflects a weakening momentum in American cinema.

Osanai: It is true that even though they were nominated for “Academy Awards,” I did not think that ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ and ‘The Zone of Interest’ would receive so much mainstream attention. That trend may intensify in the future. As an American film lover, I am sad to see this, but on the other hand, I consider it a sign that a new trend will emerge, and I have high expectations for it.

-I’ll be keeping an eye on whether American cinema can make a comeback in the latter half of the year. Thank you for the coversation!