Jason Chang is James, a young man who inherits his ancestors residence. All other family members died twenty years ago by hanging themselves at the same time, & the house has become haunted since then... Director Leste Chen explores in The Heirloom how the very common notion of height can create a uncanny atmosphere
- especially when James family members all met their deaths on the same altitude, high above ground level. James & his girlfriend Yo (Terri Kwan), & their two friends try to uncover the mystery of The Heirloom, & just when they notice how sacrifice & family fortune are closely tied, they may no longer be able to escape from a long forgotten curse...
From director Yamada Yoji ( The Twilight Samurai) comes The Hidden Blade (a.k.a. Kakushi Ken Oni no Tsume), another loving depiction of the bygone days of samurai heroism. Nagase Masatoshi ( Shark Skin Man & Peach Hip Girl, Pistol Opera) stars as a samurai, whose adherence to his code of honor is tested by the forces around him. It is mid-nineteenth century Japan, & the way of the samurai is fading, as Western influences & corruption are slowly taking hold in Japan.
Samurai Katagiri Munezo (Nagase Masatoshi) rescues a woman (Matsu Takako) whos being abused in her married life, but as a silent romance blossoms between them, his corrupt superiors challenge his honor. When the clan orders Katagiri to kill a fellow samurai fallen to corruption, can this man of honor
- who has never killed
- complete his duty? Like in The Twilight Samurai, Yamada Yoji explores complex themes in his depiction of the simple, yet conflicted life of a man following the strictest moral code. Full of fascinating detail & sublime humanity, The Hidden Blade is a marvelously-realized film that represents the best of what current Japanese cinema has to offer.