Cafe Lumiere

This looks like it could be quite interesting. I definitely need to be exploring some of Ozu’s original works too.

Produced as a part of Shochiku’s “Ozu Yasujiro 100th Anniversary Memorial Project 2003”, this is an homage Hou Hsiao-Hsien dedicated to the filmmaker he admires. The concept, along with the fact that Hitoto Yo is playing the the main role, is a bit questionable, but the film turned out to be much better than expected. Hitoto acts so relaxed that one wouldn’t think it was her first movie, and Lee Ping-Bing’s camera work is capturing her natural performance perfectly. Appearing in the movie are everyday sceneries of Jimbocho, Ochanomizu, Yurakucho, Zoshigaya, Koenji, or the Toden-Arakawa Line, shot with the idea in mind to create a portrait of Tokyo as Ozu would do it if he were living now. The result is a new “Tokyo Story” from a contemporary perspective. (REALTOKYO)

It will play at Theatre Times Square in Shinjuku from September 11, and Eurospace in Shibuya from September 25. You can view a trailer for the film here.