Cinematheque: The Films of Nagisa Oshima

Hailed as “the most fantastic scenario in the history of cinema” (Moullet), this Brechtian parable is one of Oshima’s most written-about and provocative films. R. is hung for a rape and murder, but his body refuses to die. Since he has no memory of his crime, prison officials must “reconstruct” his identity before they can put him on trial again. “Probably the most powerful film against capital punishment ever made” (PFA). In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1968, 35mm, b/w, 117 min.