When a typhoon strikes their provincial town, one junior high school student is stranded in Tokyo, while her classmates are stranded in their school, fending for themselves and letting loose their pent-up frustrations.
The take
Coming-of-age films are usually optimistic, but sometimes, growing up isn’t as rosy as portrayed to be, as kids start to learn the failings of the adults that should know better and the tension that lies between sexes. Typhoon Club is like an anti-Breakfast Club, with the kids stuck in school overnight, not just one morning, due to a natural typhoon instead of randomly assigned detentions, and with the kids returning home traumatized instead of triumphant. Director Shinji Sōmai crafts a raw, turbulent experience, alternating between before, during, and after their stay that steadily heightens the uneasy, sometimes dangerous, experiences where these teenagers directly confront the disappointment that is adulthood. It’s a challenging film to watch, but Typhoon Club’s early exploration of teen ennui made it to be considered one of the best Japanese films ever made.
What stands out
Halfway through the film, there’s a scene of a boy chasing down a girl in a horror-esque sequence that can be triggering for some folks. Each kick of the door is terrifying.
Comments
Add a comment
Your name
Your comment
UP NEXT
UP NEXT
UP NEXT
More like this in
Look Back (2024)
Art connects people through time and space in this short and sweet drama
9.0
The Farewell (2019)
Awkwafina shines in this complex culture clash comedy.
9.1
Lady Vengeance (2005)
Truth-seeking and revenge fuel this Korean classic
8.1
River (2023)
A delightful and ultimately life-affirming Japanese time loop comedy clearly made with love
8.8
Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989)
The blind swordsman makes his last stand in this action-packed, nostalgic conclusion
7.0
2046 (2004)
The inventive sequel to In the Mood for Love
7.7
Departures (Okuribito) (2008)
An elegant and sentimental film about a reluctant cellist becoming a mortician.
9.0
Rohan at the Louvre (2023)
A riveting supernatural mystery contemplating Japanese art in relation to the world
7.1
Lust, Caution (2007)
A wartime spy falls for a collaborator in this erotic espionage drama
7.3
Blue Giant (2023)
A sax star plays the biggest and brightest jazz in this captivating music drama