Co-presented by the Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities
A contemporary of Nagisa Ōshima and Kōji Wakamatsu, Masao Adachi has spent more than six decades as a revolutionary figure on both cinematic and political stages. These personal histories are brilliantly distilled in his biopic of Japanese terrorist Satoshi Kirishima, who, as one of the country’s most wanted men, successfully evaded capture for nearly 50 years before revealing his true identity on his deathbed. Kirishima’s remarkable, often troubling life—from anarchist activities to a new existence under an assumed name, all the while driven by guilt for failing to fulfill his vocation—is told through a dazzling mix of archival footage, staged recreations, and outright fantasy that allows Adachi to trace a history of resistance and terror in Japan. The performances from Kanji Furutachi and Rairu Sugita convey lifetimes of idealism and regret. (Film at Lincoln Center)
TRT: 114 min
"A testament to one of the most invaluably unique surviving voices in Japanese cinema." —Wally Adam, Eastern Kicks
"Fiercely introspective... A work of genuine conviction made by an artist who has lived his politics." —John Lynn, International Cinephile Society
"A spirited existential drama... Now 85, [Adachi] is still as committed as ever to a radically political cinema." —James Hadfield, The Japan Times
"An intensely, sometimes even passionately acted piece of work, imagining the inner life of a man who was once Japan’s most wanted fugitive." —Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
"One of the biggest strengths of Adachi’s recent works is his willingness to prod the legacies of his fellow radicals without resorting to comfortable, trite compromises about the legacy of political violence. Escape is neither a simple valorization of Kirishima’s legacy nor a boring lecture about the deleterious effects of a life dedicated to radical politics." —Zach Lewis, InReviewOnline
(Available to download after screening date)