Latest news with #SuzuHirose
South China Morning Post
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Unreachable movie review: Suzu Hirose, Hana Sugisaki and Kaya Kiyohara in baffling drama
2/5 stars With three of Japan's most accomplished actresses under 30 – Suzu Hirose, Hana Sugisaki and Kaya Kiyohara – performing under the assured stewardship of director Nobuhiro Doi, and with a script by Cannes Film Festival award winner Yuji Sakamoto ( Monster ), supernatural drama Unreachable should have been an easy win. But this persistently baffling tale of three young ghosts navigating modern-day Tokyo is dead on arrival. Fantasies dealing with the dead and their attempts to interact with the living are not only commonplace in cinema; among them are some of the very best and most emotionally resonant films ever made. Play From Ugetsu to Rouge to Ghost, stories that reach across the ethereal plain tap into our most primal and profound feelings of love, regret, grief and loneliness. But in order for them to work, certain ground rules, however fanciful, must be laid down and adhered to. That is not the case here. Misaki (Hirose), Yuuka (Sugisaki), and Sakura (Kiyohara) share a house in the Tokyo suburbs and commute daily to their jobs or classes. Within the film's first few moments, however, we learn that all three girls are dead, victims of a violent attack at their primary school more than a decade earlier.
Malay Mail
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Kazuo Ishiguro goes cinematic: Quiet classic ‘A Pale View of Hills' gets its Cannes close-up
CANNES, May 17 — Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel, set in post-war Nagasaki and 1980s England, needed to be made into a film while there were still some of Japan's World War Two generation alive to share their stories, director Kei Ishikawa told Reuters. 'The hurdles were high, but I felt strongly that if I had the chance to make the movie, I should do it now,' Ishikawa said at the Cannes Film Festival, where A Pale View of Hills is competing in the second-tier 'Un Certain Regard' category. 'In a few years' time, we might not be able to get to hear their stories, and that weighed heavily on me,' said the Japanese director, whose 2022 film A Man premiered at the Venice Film Festival. A Pale View of Hills intertwines the central character Etsuko's memories of life in Nagasaki after the atomic bombing in 1945 with her interactions with her daughter in 1980s Britain. The film, which stars Suzu Hirose and Yoh Yoshida, premiered yesterday, with The Hollywood Reporter describing it as a Cannes hidden gem. Adapted for new generation Ishiguro, an executive producer on the film, is also in Cannes. Adapting the novel, which he wrote when he was 25, was different from taking his other books, including The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, to the big screen, he told Reuters. 'Not just because it's so very personal, but because at the time when I wrote the book, it was just 35 years after the end of the Second World War,' the Japanese-born British author said. Now there have been at least two generations since the one that experienced the war that ended 80 years ago, he said. 'For me, that's a very special thing. Possibly this is the first time maybe the Japanese people are prepared to look carefully at those experiences,' said Ishiguro. He praised Ishikawa, 47, for making a film that was relevant to younger audiences from what he called an 'apprentice book'. 'He's made the movie really for today's audience, for his generation and the generation actually even younger than him,' said Ishiguro, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017. Director Ishikawa said he hoped the film would also alter foreign perceptions of Japanese women, who 'are often seen as demure, walking a step behind their husbands'. But that's not the case at all, he said. 'There were definitely such strong women in that era,' he said. 'We've made this film from our own lived experiences and I believe that if many people see it, it could really refresh the image of Japan itself.' — Reuters
Reuters
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Japanese director tells Cannes he had last chance to make Ishiguro's 'Pale View of Hills'
CANNES, France, May 17 (Reuters) - Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel, set in post-war Nagasaki and 1980s England, needed to be made into a film while there were still some of Japan's World War Two generation alive to share their stories, director Kei Ishikawa told Reuters. "The hurdles were high, but I felt strongly that if I had the chance to make the movie, I should do it now," Ishikawa said at the Cannes Film Festival, where "A Pale View of Hills" is competing in the second-tier 'Un Certain Regard' category. "In a few years' time, we might not be able to get to hear their stories, and that weighed heavily on me," said the Japanese director, whose 2022 film "A Man" premiered at the Venice Film Festival. "A Pale View of Hills" intertwines the central character Etsuko's memories of life in Nagasaki after the atomic bombing in 1945 with her interactions with her daughter in 1980s Britain. The film, which stars Suzu Hirose and Yoh Yoshida, premiered on Friday, with The Hollywood Reporter, opens new tab describing it as a Cannes hidden gem. Ishiguro, an executive producer on the film, is also in Cannes. Adapting the novel, which he wrote when he was 25, was different from taking his other books, including "The Remains of the Day" and "Never Let Me Go," to the big screen, he told Reuters. "Not just because it's so very personal, but because at the time when I wrote the book, it was just 35 years after the end of the Second World War," the Japanese-born British author said. Now there have been at least two generations since the one that experienced the war that ended 80 years ago, he said. "For me, that's a very special thing. Possibly this is the first time maybe the Japanese people are prepared to look carefully at those experiences," said Ishiguro. He praised Ishikawa, 47, for making a film that was relevant to younger audiences from what he called an "apprentice book". "He's made the movie really for today's audience, for his generation and the generation actually even younger than him," said Ishiguro, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017. Director Ishikawa said he hoped the film would also alter foreign perceptions of Japanese women, who "are often seen as demure, walking a step behind their husbands". But that's not the case at all, he said. "There were definitely such strong women in that era," he said. "We've made this film from our own lived experiences and I believe that if many people see it, it could really refresh the image of Japan itself."
Vogue Singapore
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue Singapore
The most stylish Asian stars at the Cannes Film Festival 2025
The Croisette has opened—and the French Riviera feels like home again. The 78th Cannes Film Festival is well underway and for all of ten days, the promenade will see a celebration of film; a sizzling scene which welcomes only the most esteemed of global talent, respected directors, filmmakers and actors alike. After all, it's a known fact that in recent years, much of the industry's biggest films have emerged from the festival. The Palme D'Or winners of the past few iterations are telling enough; from Bong Joon Ho's highly-lauded Parasite ; to Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall in 2023; and the throne taker of last year: Sean Baker's Anora , all of which won big at the Oscars. And what would Cannes be without its equally glossy red carpet? With the myriad film premieres happening, it only means that day on day, A-listers from every corner of the world turn up dressed in garb fit for the glamour of the Croisette. The Queen of Cannes herself, Bella Hadid, made her scintillating return on opening night—in no less than a tastefully chic black gown from Saint Laurent, a hit for us all when combined with her new blonde 'do. It's no surprise, however, that some of our favourite Asian faces are also all over the carpet—especially considering the variety of Asian films premiering at this year's fest. Take Kei Ishikawa's A Pale View of Hills for example, which welcomes Japanese stars Suzu Hirose and Yoh Yoshida to the French Riviera. After making a big splash last year with the success of All We Imagine as Light , the landscape of Indian cinema is also set to inspire. Director Neeraj Ghaywan's highly-awaited sophomore feature Homebound , for one, has been selected for the festival's Un Certain Regard section, and is likely to welcome the likes of Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Katter to the French town. Meanwhile, Thai stars Becky Armstrong and Nychaa were also present at the premiere of Dossier 137, the former dressed in a sculptural couture gown designed by Nicolas Jebran. Cast your gaze over the most exciting appearances from Asian celebrities at the 78th Cannes Film Festival this year, with more to come. Courtesy of Chanel 1 / 14 Kim Go-eun in Chanel Courtesy of Roger Vivier 2 / 14 Becky Armstrong in Nicolas Jebran and Roger Vivier Getty 3 / 14 Yoh Yashida and Suzu Hirose Getty 4 / 14 Wan Qian Hui Getty 5 / 14 Pom Klementieff in Loewe Getty 6 / 14 Veena Praveenar Singh in Michael Cinco Couture Getty 7 / 14 Gong Jun in Stefano Pilati Getty 8 / 14 Saffron Vadher in Dior 9 / 14 Suzu Hirose Courtesy of Boucheron 10 / 14 Araya A. Hargate in Giorgio Armani Privé and Boucheron jewellery Getty 11 / 14 Wan Qian Hui Getty 12 / 14 Renata Notni in Giorgio Armani Privé Getty 13 / 14 Nychaa in custom Georges Chakra Getty 14 / 14 Yoh Yashida
