★ 10 / 10
Japanese Borscht is a striking independent film that
Eric R
Japanese Borscht is a striking independent film that combines surreal storytelling with deeply human emotion. Its narrative drifts between reality and…
Japanese Borscht is a striking independent film that combines surreal storytelling with deeply human emotion. Its narrative drifts between reality and dreamlike sequences, creating an atmosphere that feels both haunting and poetic. The director’s use of bold colors and stark contrasts lends each frame the quality of a living painting, making the visual language as important as the dialogue. At its core, the story explores themes of love, loss, and self-discovery, drawing the viewer into a journey that feels intensely personal yet universally resonant. The pacing, though at times unconventional, enhances the film’s artistic ambition and rewards patient viewers with moments of profound beauty. The performances are intimate and layered, grounding the abstract elements in raw human feeling. Ultimately, Japanese Borscht stands as both a visual experiment and an emotional confession—a beautiful piece of cinema that lingers long after the credits roll
Read full review
★ 10 / 10
Brilliant
Japanese Borscht is the kind of wild, fearless indie that steamrolls past "good" and lands somewhere closer to unforgettable. It mashes up gangster melodrama…
Japanese Borscht is the kind of wild, fearless indie that steamrolls past "good" and lands somewhere closer to unforgettable. It mashes up gangster melodrama, Phantom of the Opera mysticism, and Yakuza-family fever dream energy into a two-hour odyssey that feels like it was shot straight from the director's subconscious. The story of Davis losing his girl and stepdaughter to a gangster brother-in-law, then turning to a masked phantom and a newfound Yakuza family for help, has this mythic, urban-fable vibe you can't shake. What some call "bad" editing becomes part of its punk cinema grammar, an anything-goes cutting style that keeps you off-balance and totally glued to the screen. The monologues about Phantom of the Opera, baseball, abandonment, and everything in between create a swirling, hypnotic rhythm that feels more like performance art than conventional drama. On a shoestring budget reportedly around five grand, the movie conjures an entire cracked universe, proving how far raw imagination can stretch limited resources. Michael Musto, Ron Jeremy, Sylvia Miles and a deep bench of New York character actors give it that grimy, downtown-cult texture you only get from true one-of-a-kind projects. The whole thing plays like Neil Breen by way of Brooklyn nightlife: chaotic, sincere, occasionally jaw-dropping, and never, ever boring. It's the sort of movie you throw on with friends, expecting a laugh, and end up talking about for days because you've literally never seen anything like it. Japanese Borscht isn't just a movie you watch; it's a delirious, off-kilter experience you survive, celebrate, and immediately want to force your most adventurous friends to see.
Read full review
★ 10 / 10
The most profound and personal film by director Eric Rivas, in my opinion...
The director's stamp is very present in his zooms towards the actors and the music so present in the film. It is addictive to see and entertains until the end…
The director's stamp is very present in his zooms towards the actors and the music so present in the film. It is addictive to see and entertains until the end, I recommend it...
I think the performances are correct for what the director proposes, you can also see the freedom he always gives to his interpreters ??
Read full review
80%
AUDIENCE
5.1/10
98
•••
"The Japanese help him The Japanese help him"