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Japon

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Japon (2003)

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Reviews Counted:25

Fresh:20

Rotten:5

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: A slow-moving, visually impressive debut.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 2 hrs 30 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Mar 19, 2003 Limited

Synopsis: Assisted by a cane, the unidentified lead (Alejandro Ferretis) of JAPON limps through a desolate canyon in his trademark red flannel jacket searching for deeper meaning. He has arrived at this... Assisted by a cane, the unidentified lead (Alejandro Ferretis) of JAPON limps through a desolate canyon in his trademark red flannel jacket searching for deeper meaning. He has arrived at this remote Mexican location, escaping the city to paint and find the kind of serenity only nature can provide. Here he stays with Ascen (Magdalena Flores), an elderly woman who cooks for him and cleans his shirts. Ascen has lived on the land for forty years, but her nephew Juan Luis (Martin Serrano) is now reclaiming the land. Juan Luis intends to demolish a building which protects Ascen's modest dwelling, so he can collect money for the stones that hold up the structure. As the unidentified painter tries to get Ascen to fight for her home, he develops a sexual desire for his elderly host. The importance of nature is prevalent throughout Carlos Reygadas' meditative work. Long, luminous takes allow thoughtful reflection as the film takes both its viewers and its protagonist on an existential journey. Adding to the languid beauty of the film is Arvo Part's moving score. [More]

Starring: Alejandro Ferretis, Magdalene Flores, Yolanda Villa, Martin Serrano

Starring: Alejandro Ferretis, Magdalene Flores, Yolanda Villa, Martin Serrano, Rolando Hernandez, Barnabe Perez

Director: Carlos Reygadas

Director: Carlos Reygadas
Screenwriter: Carlos Reygadas
Producer: Carlos Reygadas
Composer: Arvo Pärt
Producer: Jaime Romandia
Studio: Vitagraph Films

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Oct 12, 2004

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Japon

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
07/08/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

obese in length and overflowing in pretension like so many prototypical art films

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
07/02/06
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

Nothing shy of enthralling.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
04/19/06
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

No review available.

comment Comment
09/26/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

If you're in synch with its heartbeat, and with Reygadas' tendency to pursue visual detours that intensify the film's sensual impact, this is a remarkable first effort that is equal parts disturbing, bold, mysterious and primal.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
11/07/03
Jeff Shannon
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times

Its pretensions have the ring of, if not exactly a vanity project, a strictly personal obsession.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
09/05/03
Nick Carter
Nick Carter
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The sacrificed female body is used to resurrect a condemned soul and with her ascension comes the spiritual renewal of (The) Man.

Full Review Source: FilmFestivals.com | comment Comment
08/01/03
Moira Sullivan
Moira Sullivan
FilmFestivals.com

An obscure and haunting and unpredictable parable.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/28/03
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

All these references, though, form a jambalaya that doesn't go down so easy.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
05/29/03
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

The one thing that is clear from Japón is that a major new visual stylist has hit the screen and that Reygadas' first film represents the beginning of an auspicious career.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
05/18/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Unfolding at an elliptical pace that feels like a revelation, or tedium, or both, Japon recalls the glory days of 1970s art-house filmmaking.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
05/09/03
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Unlike a lot of young filmmakers, the 31-year-old Reygadas takes his ideas about the world and our place in it as seriously as his filmmaking ambitions.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
04/24/03
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Reygadas grapples with the most elemental of issues ... and the result is sly, touching and more than a little loony.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
04/24/03
John Powers
John Powers
L.A. Weekly

It is the work of a remarkable new talent.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
04/17/03
Patrick Z. McGavin
Patrick Z. McGavin
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
03/25/03
Guardian [UK]

Reygadas has an impressive eye for otherworldly landscapes and an impressive ear, too.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
03/23/03
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's not a movie to see if you're in a hurry, but its deliberate pace and thoughtful mood are refreshing antidotes to the hyperactive speed of most Hollywood pictures.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
03/20/03
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

Strange and beautifully expressive.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/19/03
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide
 
 
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