Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2013

In 2009, Rob Schwartz named his “Top 10 Japanese Films of the Decade.” For Metropolis #1,000, here are his five best from then until now.

Nude

Examines the exhilaration and heartbreak of the adult-movie industry and how AV stars create and inhabit their new identities. This evocative work leaves open whether or not it was worth it. An unexpected tour-de-force, and one of the best contemporary fiction pieces on becoming a porno actress—in any country.
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Norwegian Wood

Masterpiece of the famous Haruki Murakami novel from Vietnamese-French director Tran Ahn Hung and an all-Japanese cast featuring Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) and Kenichi Matsuyama (Death Note). With highly nuanced performances, this meditation on death, loss and its emotional toll hits home.
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Ikechan to Boku

Manga has become the most common source material for Japanese film, but the majority are aimed at children—and thoroughly banal. This story of a boy with a little blob named Ikechan defies the mold. Manages cute and meaningful at the same time.

Air Doll (Kuki Ningyo)

Follows an inflatable sex doll (Korean actress Doona Bae—Cloud Atlas) that develops life and goes out into the world. She experiences reality as a child and its insight into beauty and humanity—a thought-provoking and surreal work.
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Pyuupiru 2001-2008

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Shot over seven years, we see an artist gain confidence in his art while undergoing a sexual transformation. An intimate portrait by documentarian Daishi Matsunaga on the search for an androgynous, idealized body—a must for those interested in art and sexual identity.
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