The Japan Foundation Los Angeles, 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 100, in Los Angeles, screens recent Japanese films every second and fourth Wednesday at 7 p.m. This month’s offerings:
July 11 — “The Long Excuse” (2016, 124 minutes). Romance starring Motoki Masahiro (“Departures”) with original story, script and direction by Miwa Nishikawa (“Dreams for Sale”). Bestselling author Sachio Kinugasa’s wife dies in a freak accident. He was cheating on his wife at the time of the accident and has to put on a fake performance as bereaved husband. Sachio meets Omiya (Takehara Pistol), whose wife died in the same accident, and offers to help take care of his children, then discovers the joy of living for others.
July 25 — “The Magnificent Nine” (2016, 129 minutes), directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura. A film adaptation of Michifumi Isoda’s original novel, which is based on a true story from the middle Edo Period. This film comically depicts the efforts of Yoshiokajuku, an inn town in Sendai fief, to save themselves from impoverishment by running a money-lending enterprise against the fiefdom. On the verge of financial crisis, the fiefdom levies a heavy tax upon its residents, resulting in bankruptcies and people fleeing town in succession. Nine people, including Juzaburo Kokudaya (Sadawo Abe), devise a relief plan to loan money to the fief with a partner and distribute the interest among the residents.
In Japanese with English subtitles. Screenings are free and reservations are not required. Street parking is available. For more information, call (323) 761-7510 or visit www.jflalc.org.