Incredible Scenes in Japanese Films -- Part 1

WARNING: Major spoilers for the most part, so beware.


花とアリス (Hana and Alice) (2004) -- Dir: Iwai Shunji


This scene moved me deeply.  By including this scene at the very end of his film, Iwai gives the viewer reason to feel emotionally touched by this simple act of ballet.  The music is beautifully composed by Iwai himself.  If you haven't seen the film, this scene will not mean as much to you as it does to one who has seen it.  Aoi Yu is truly one of Japanese cinema's great actresses.


僕は妹に恋をする (Boku wa Imouto ni Koi wo Suru -- AKA: I Love My Little Sister) (2007) -- Dir: Ando Hiroshi



About the only good part of this film is the final 20 minutes.  In this scene, the actors decide to act, especially Matsumoto Jun.  While a bit wary of this film, which deals with sibling incest, this scene made up for most of my doubts.  Filmed in a single take, the scene is a culmination of the characters' emotions; they realize that they cannot be together and this is their final moment of intimacy.  By playing this simple game, they remember their childhood while finally admitting to themselves that this is the end of their fantasy; they have to return to the real world.

家族ゲーム (Family Game) (1983) -- Dir: Morita Yoshimitsu

The famous food-fight scene.  This scene is completely ridiculous and masterful.  Filmed in a single take, the scene depicts the family and the tutor of one of the boys eating dinner to celebrate the boy's acceptance into a top high school.  The dinner gets out of hand, however, when the tutor decides to wreak havoc upon the entire family, slowly destroying their dinner and beating them up.  It is a puzzling scene in the context of the entire film, which seeks to show the discord in normal family life.


Picnic (1996) -- Dir: Iwai Shunji



Picnic is a film about escaped mental asylum patients who want to see the world.  They receive a bible and misinterpret a part, believing that the world will soon end.  This scene gives me goosebumps every time I watch it.  Tsumuji (Asano Tadanobu) fires his pistol at the sun, thinking that he can hit it and destroy the world.  Coco (CHARA) decides to end her own life after he fails.  A scene of black feathers against setting sun follows, along with an upset Tsumuji firing his empty pistol in futility.  Beautiful, haunting scene.


This is basically a test post, as these are not scenes that I have specifically cut.  They were the only ones on my list that I could actually find in some form already existing on YouTube.  Most of it is bad quality and most of the scenes are pretty long, so bear with me.  Quality will improve!