{"product_id":"desert-of-namibia","title":"Desert of Namibia","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0133\/2562\/files\/Kani_logo.jpg_copy.jpg?v=1762206433\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.collectiveeye.org\/pages\/host-a-screening\" title=\"Community Screenings Form\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"margin-bottom: 6px; float: start;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0133\/2562\/files\/WebsiteButton_3bb924f4-b7af-47a7-98d9-8c2765d50eb0_480x480.jpg?v=1718641924\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDirected by: \u003c\/strong\u003eYoko Yamanaka\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReleased:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2025 (educational)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYear of Production:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2024\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRunning Time: \u003c\/strong\u003e137 min\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Japanese\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSubtitle Options:\u003c\/strong\u003e English Closed Captions\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSubjects: \u003c\/strong\u003eAsian Cinema, Drama Narrative\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e      \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e        \u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/24ewX2Zf4m0?si=-oxs_u60kt9Uo75B\" title=\"YouTube video player\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e21-year-old Kana (rising star Yuumi Kawai) works a disaffected job at a beauty salon, where she bristles against the beauty expectations placed on women her age. Her erratic mood and default to self-destruct impacts all of her relationships, as moments of levity erupt into violence and optimism simmers to despair. Bored with her slavish boyfriend, she finds another; the novel excitement of it all soon devolving into a volatile predicament. Uncommitted and trapped in her own life, Kana slowly makes her way towards the inner desert of her emotions. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlternating between claustrophobic blocking, ample zooms and expressive whip-pans brought together by dryly comedic editing and an intense actor’s direction, the sophomore effort from director Yoko Yamanaka (the youngest filmmaker to have a film selected at the Berlin International Film Festival with her 2017 debut \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAmiko\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e) provides a frank and dynamic examination of womanhood and mental health in contemporary Japan. Inspired by the female protagonists of Yasuzo Masumura as much as the intense Cassavetes\/Rowlands collaboration, Yamanaka breaks out with a work of stark confrontational honesty.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Yoko Yamanaka's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDesert of Namibia\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is profoundly affecting; imbued with a calm, introverted cruelty; like a girl without a home standing on any Tokyo street corner saying to the world, ‘I don't understand!’” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e– Lou Ye (Suzhou River)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Elusive, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDesert of Namibia\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is an ultra-melancholic slapstick comedy, a slow-burn vaudeville, a fantasy film without monsters or ghosts–or else entirely populated by monsters and ghosts, but with a seemingly everyday quality... About a generation's relationship to the world...”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e – Jean-Michel Frodon, Slate (France)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Yuumi Kawai is immediately magnetic... Yamanaka’s work defies binaries… The film and its lead feel[s] pulsating alive.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e– Siddhant Adhlaka, Variety\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Kawai’s masterful, multilayered performance, which presents Kana more as willful and lost than born bad and raised wrong, both exposes and humanizes her.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e– Mark Schilling, Japan Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“The messages here are klaxon-level clear. Japanese conformity is killing Kana and her generation as they twist themselves into shapes that don’t fit.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e– Fionnuala Halligan, Screen International\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"container mx-auto my-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"mt-4 md:w-7\/12 mx-auto text-center font-body text-base\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e                                   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e        \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the filmmakers\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"C9DxTc\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e            \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cdiv role=\"presentation\" class=\"ipc-html-content ipc-html-content--base ipc-metadata-list-item-html-item\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv role=\"presentation\" class=\"ipc-html-content-inner-div\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYôko Yamanaka was born in 1997 in Nagano, Nagano, Japan. She is a director and writer, known for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt32128870\/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_lk\" class=\"ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity\"\u003eDesert of Namibia (2024)\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt8134468\/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_lk\" class=\"ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity\"\u003eAmiko (2017)\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt9716782\/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_lk\" class=\"ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity\"\u003e21st Century Girl (2019)\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e        \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.collectiveeye.org\/pages\/screenings\"\u003eHost a Screening and Book the Filmmaker at your Event\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gmail_quote\"\u003e\n\u003cblockquote class=\"gmail_quote\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"pageContainer1\" data-page-number=\"1\" data-loaded=\"true\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-canvas-width=\"745.4456470588237\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"page\" title=\"Page 2\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"layoutArea\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"column\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Yoko Yamanaka","offers":[{"title":"University \u0026 College DVD (with PPR*)","offer_id":48956492218676,"sku":"DON-U","price":375.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital Site License","offer_id":48956492251444,"sku":"DON-D","price":550.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"DVD + DSL (w\/ PPR)","offer_id":48956492284212,"sku":"DON-DD","price":625.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0133\/2562\/files\/DONposter.jpg?v=1764637152","url":"https:\/\/www.collectiveeye.org\/products\/desert-of-namibia","provider":"Collective Eye Films","version":"1.0","type":"link"}