1. Sansho the Bailiff (山椒大夫)
In medieval Japan, a woman and his children journey to find the family's patriarch, who was exiled years before.
It has an average vote of 8.102 on TMDB.
2. Street of Shame (赤線地帯)
The lives of five prostitutes employed at a Japanese brothel while the nation is debating the passage of an anti-prostitution law.
It has an average vote of 7.6 on TMDB.
3. The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (残菊物語)
In late 19th century Tokyo, Kikunosuke Onoue, the adopted son of a legendary actor, himself an actor specializing in female roles, discovers that he is only praised for his acting due to his status as his father's heir. Devastated by this, he turns to Otoku, a servant of his family, for comfort, and they fall in love. Kikunosuke becomes determined to leave home and develop as an actor on his own merits, and Otoku faithfully follows him.
It has an average vote of 7.895 on TMDB.
4. The Life of Oharu (西鶴一代女)
In Edo Period Japan, a noblewoman's banishment for her love affair with a lowly page signals the beginning of her inexorable fall.
It has an average vote of 7.784 on TMDB.
5. Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (달마가 동쪽으로 간 까닭은)
About three monks in a remote monastery; an aging master, a small orphan and a young man who left his city life to seek Enlightenment.
It has an average vote of 7.3 on TMDB.
6. Miss Oyu (お遊さま)
Shinnosuke is introduced to Shizu as a prospective marriage partner, but he falls in love with her widowed sister Oyu. Convention forbids Oyu to marry because she has to raise her son as the head of her husband's family. Oyu convinces Shinnosuke and Shizu to marry so that she can remain close to Shinnosuke.
It has an average vote of 7.142 on TMDB.
7. A Geisha (祇園囃子)
Eiko seeks out Miyoharu, a geisha, and asks to be her apprentice. When she is ready to receive clients, both women want the right to refuse certain men.
It has an average vote of 7.542 on TMDB.
8. Osaka Elegy (浪華悲歌)
Ayako becomes the mistress of her boss so she can pay her father's debt and prevent him from going to prison for embezzlement.
It has an average vote of 6.722 on TMDB.
9. Japan's Longest Day (日本のいちばん長い日)
Following the detonation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese military and the government clash over the demand from the Allies for unconditional surrender. Minister of the Army Anami leads the military officers who propose to fight on, even to the death of every Japanese citizen. Emperor Hirohito, however, joins with his ministers in asking the unthinkable, the peaceful surrender of Japan. When the military plots a coup to overthrow the Emperor's civilian government, Anami must face the choice between his desires and loyalty to his Emperor.
It has an average vote of 7.18 on TMDB.
10. Himiko (卑弥呼)
The myth of the Sun Goddess who founded Japanese society is seen through the lens of a modern view of history.
It has an average vote of 7.2 on TMDB.
11. Fighting Through the Night (Combat au bout de la nuit)
An unconventional activist epic, filmed in Greece over several years among the many refugees and amidst some of the mass demonstrations that have rocked the country. The film is at once an essay, guerrilla journalism and poetic portrait. It tackles the socio-political upheavals of a country that stands alone in bringing down the western neoliberal model.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
12. Lap Rouge
The camera pursues the life of two Dutch brothers, Herman and Egbert over the course of several months. Their mother wanted to disassociate herself from the petty bourgeois atmosphere in Holland during the fifties. In 1959 she took her two boys and left for Marnhac, a deserted village in southern France. After living in France for the the next 35 years both brothers have become almost fully alienated from society. They don't have the courage to leave their very aged and dominant mother. Written by Kurzfilmtage - international short film festival Oberhausen
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
13. Wandering (ธุดงควัตร)
Boonsong Nakphoo’s Wandering transposes the calmness and clarity of a meditative state into a narrative about an aging man’s unlikely journey into monkhood.
It has an average vote of 5.8 on TMDB.
14. Uprooted
A magic axe and ecological vengeance.
It has an average vote of 7.5 on TMDB.
15. Christmas in July
An office clerk loves entering contests in the hopes of someday winning a fortune and marrying the girl he loves. His latest attempt is the Maxford House Coffee Slogan Contest. As a joke, some of his co-workers put together a fake telegram which says that he won the $25,000 grand prize.
It has an average vote of 6.986 on TMDB.
16. Whirlpool
The wife of a psychoanalyst falls prey to a devious quack hypnotist when he discovers she is an habitual shoplifter. Then one of his previous patients now being treated by the real doctor is found murdered, with her still at the scene, and suspicion points only one way.
It has an average vote of 6.424 on TMDB.
17. Ossessione (Ossessione)
Gino, a drifter, begins an affair with inn-owner Giovanna as they plan to get rid of her older husband.
It has an average vote of 7.5 on TMDB.
18. The Naked Island (裸の島)
A family of four are the sole inhabitants of a small island, where they struggle each day to irrigate their crops.
It has an average vote of 7.968 on TMDB.
19. The River
Director Jean Renoir’s entrancing first color feature—shot entirely on location in India—is a visual tour de force. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the film eloquently contrasts the growing pains of three young women with the immutability of the Bengal river around which their daily lives unfold. Enriched by Renoir’s subtle understanding and appreciation for India and its people, The River gracefully explores the fragile connections between transitory emotions and everlasting creation.
It has an average vote of 7.208 on TMDB.
20. Gate of Hell (地獄門)
Japan, 1159. Moritō, a brave samurai, performs a heroic act by rescuing the lovely Kesa during a violent uprising. Moritō falls in love with her, but becomes distraught when he finds out that she is married.
It has an average vote of 7.167 on TMDB.
