Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2012

Finnish film stalwart Aki Kaurismäki will enjoy a retrospective at his home away from home in Tokyo, Shibuya’s Eurospace (1-5 Maruyamacho, Shibuya-ku; www.eurospace.co.jp), April 21-27. The director is known for his downplayed sense of humor which has influenced admirers such as Jim Jarmusch. The lineup includes the critically lauded The Man Without a Past (2002; pictured), and after the retrospective the director’s latest work Le Havre will screen from April 28… To make yourself feel normal by comparison, catch Cinema Vera’s (1-5 Maruyamacho, Shibuya-ku; www.cinemavera.com) mixed bag of films on “delusional and deranged people”, April 21-May 18, including The Brain that Wouldn’t Die (1962), The Invisible Man (1933), Freaks (1932) and many more… Fans of classic Japanese cinema will want to head to Shin-Bungeiza in Ikebukuro (3F, 1-43-5 Higashi-Ikebukuro Toshima-ku; www.shin-bungeiza.com) as they screen masterpieces from Daiei Film Studios, April 16-20. The now defunct studio was known for cultivating top-notch directors such as Kon Ichikawa and Kenji Mizoguchi.