Shinji Sōmai

Shinji Sōmai (相米 慎二) was a Japanese film director. He directed 13 films between 1980 and 2000 and almost always he focused on the young generation problems, being the successful A Sailor suit and a Machine-gun (1981) and Typhoon Club (1985) as the best examples of that.

Career and style
The most recognizable trademark of Somai is the use of long takes, creating a kind of rupture between reality and the inner emotions of the characters. The first 15 minutes of Lost Chapter of Snow (1985) is probably the best crafted long take of his career.

His film Moving was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. His 1998 film, Wait and See, won the FIPRESCI prize at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival in 1999.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival artistic director Chris Fujiwara noted that American film director Nicholas Ray and French film director Jean Vigo shared Somai's sensibilities.

Filmography

 * Tonda Couple (1980)
 * Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (1981)
 * P.P. Rider (1983)
 * The Catch (1983)
 * Love Hotel (1985)
 * Typhoon Club (1985)
 * Lost Chapter of Snow: Passion (1985)
 * Luminous Woman (1987)
 * Tokyo Heaven (1990)
 * Moving (1993)
 * The Friends (1994)
 * Wait and See (1998)
 * Kaza-hana (2000)