Everyone's seen a Japanese film or two in their day that isn't animated, but as a fan of Japanese culture, you may not know where to begin. It can be a little overwhelming, after all -- do you start with American horror remakes and trace it back to the source film? Or do you rent every Akira Kurosawa film ever made and educate yourself on that?

I'd like an opportunity to introduce you to the Japanese films you should be watching, and Masters of Japanese Film will allow me to do just that. There are many directors making films that are not to be missed, and this will present you with a guide to who they are, what films you need to check out, and even the films to skip!

Kiyoshi Kurosawa is best known for his j-horror offerings, but if you kept watching after that time period, his work offers an even more riveting experience for the viewer. Hit the jump to learn a bit more about the man behind films such as Cure, Kairo and Tokyo Sonata.

The Must-Sees

Cure (1997)
Starring Koji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi Ujiki and Anna Nakagawa

While Kurosawa started his career in the early 1980's, Cure was the first film that earned him some international acclaim. Starring the seminal Koji Yahusho (who would later show up in many more Kurosawa projects), it follows the story of Kenichi Takabe, a policeman investigating a series of bizarre murders in which the victims have an X carved into their chests. He later encounters a man named Mamiya, a hypnotist who may or may not have a hand in the murders. Most notable here is Kurosawa's use of sound, which is more terrifying than any actual scene in the film could be. Watch this at night and turn the lights down low -- it is not to be missed.

 

Kairo (Pulse) (2001)

Starring Kumiko Aso,Haruhiko Kato, and Koji Yashuko

 

If you've seen The Ring and got curious about J-horror, there's a good chance you might have stumbled across Kairo (or Pulse as it was known in it's American release). However, the film takes that recognizable brand of scary and brings it to new levels with Kurosawa's ability to intimate dread through use of sound and perfectly bland situations irrevocably changed by unexplained circumstances. In Kairo, the main character watches her colleagues slowly vanish without a trace, her only clue is through a series of ghostly clues left behind on computers. Elegant and haunting, this is easily one of the most memorable films that came out of the J-horror craze and will leave you thinking for some time afterwards.

 

 

Bright Future (2003)
Starring Tadnobu Asano, Joe Odagiri, Tatsuya Fuji

 

Ichi the Killer's Tadnobu Asano stars in Bright Future, which I admit drew me to the film before I even knew what the story was about. He plays one of two bored factory workers who is entrusted with the care of poisonous jellyfish owned by his boss. These creatures are truly the silent stars of the film, remaining central as all kinds of odd events unfold around them. While far more obscure than either Cure or Kairo, Bright Future is a thoughtful take on the futures we dream of and the comparison of reality.

 

 

Tokyo Sonata (2008)

Starring Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyôko Koizumi, Yû Koyanagi, Inowaki Kai

 

 

Kurosawa's most recent film is easily one of his most frightening, which is remarkable considering there's nothing horror-oriented about it.  Ryûhei Sasaki is your average salaryman, supporting a wife and two sons. His life turns upside down when he loses his job unexpectedly. In America, you would dust yourself off, send our your resume and say your prayers. Sasaki faces a greater challenge: since his identity is completely tied into his job, he suddenly finds himself facing the fact he has absolutely no idea who he is. By turns haunting and ultimately plain, Tokyo Sonata is easily one of Kurosawa's most beautiful films, if only because we can so easily recognize our own hopes and fears in the lives of its characters.