If you loved HOKUSAI, try Phone Call to the Bar

A bridge between a film you've already seen and one most people haven't. Phone Call to the Bar has roughly 3.0× fewer votes than HOKUSAI — it's a deeper cut, not a mainstream recommendation. Here's what they share, and what the second one does that the first one doesn't.

You already loved

HOKUSAI

2021 · dir. Hajime Hashimoto

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Phone Call to the Bar

2011 · dir. Hajime Hashimoto

What they share

Both films are directed by Hajime Hashimoto, and they both carry the slow burn mood tag, and they sit in Drama territory. If that's the register that drew you to HOKUSAI, the second film will land in a comparable space — through a different lens.

slow burn

What Phone Call to the Bar is

You're a Sapporo gumshoe, drinking away the blues. Then a call comes: a woman needs a small favor done. But something feels off, though the job looks easy. The detective trusts his gut. Hashimoto's picture keeps the camera close, cutting through neon glare and Hokkaido chill. What remains is a portrait of hard men doing right.

If you loved HOKUSAI, try Phone Call to the Bar

HOKUSAI

Phone Call to the Bar

What they share

What Phone Call to the Bar is

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