Throne of Blood | Akira Kurosawa | 1957 | Asian Cinema Season - Film 200

"Without ambition, man is not man."

In Throne of Blood, Akira Kurosawa reimagines Shakespeare’s Macbeth as a stark and eerie tale of ambition, betrayal, and the struggle between fate and free will. Set in feudal Japan, this adaptation replaces Shakespeare’s poetic language with the haunting visuals of Kurosawa’s cinema and incorporates elements of Japanese Noh theater, creating a chilling and timeless exploration of human nature.…

Ran | Akira Kurosawa | 1985 | Asian Cinema Season - Film 199

"In a mad world only the mad are sane."

Akira Kurosawa’s Ran feels like a haunting meditation on power, betrayal, and the chaos people bring upon themselves. Loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s King Lear, it places these timeless themes into the context of feudal Japan, creating a story that’s as breath-taking as it is devastating. Watching it, I couldn’t help but feel swept up in its vast scope…

Peppermint Candy | Lee Chang-dong | 1999 | 2024 Asian Cinema Season – Film 173

"I don’t want to die alone! I need one bastard to come with me."

Lee Chang-dong’s Peppermint Candy is an honest exploration of one man’s disintegration, both emotionally and morally, as seen through the lens of South Korea’s socio-political turmoil. The film displays the life of its protagonist, Yong-ho, in reverse, peeling back the layers of his past to reveal the key moments that transformed…

Double Suicide | Masahiro Shinoda | 1969 | 2024 Asian Cinema Season – Film 183

"I want to be together like this forever."

Masahiro Shinoda’s Double Suicide (1969) is an emotionally intense and visually stunning adaptation of the 1720 bunraku puppet play The Love Suicides at Amijima by Chikamatsu Monzaemon. The film follows Jihei, a married merchant, and his love affair with Koharu, a courtesan. Unable to live in a world where they can be together, Jihei and Koharu decide…