Retrospective of Nobuhiko Obayashi's Coming-of-Age Films Hits New York
Six films by the cult-classic ‘House’ director, rarely seen outside of Japan.
Japanese director Nobuhiko Obayashi (1938-2020) took the world of cinema by storm with his 1997 masterpiece House. A campy, cult-classic horror, the film set the stage for his idiosyncratic signature as an artist and director, brimming with otherworldly fantasias, pop-art boldness and acidic surrealism. While the film catapulted him to fame, its towering influence has often eclipsed the range of his work overseas.
Now, Obayashi’s teenage symphonies are getting their flowers in Obayashi ‘80s, a film series presented by the Japan Society in New York, running from February 7 through February 14, 2025. With six films rarely seen outside of Japan, the series presents the beloved Onomichi Trilogy alongside Kadokawa-era classics, evoking a bittersweet nostalgia for a yesteryear that exists just beyond reach.
Highlights include a rare 35mm import of the coming-of-age, body-swap feature I Are You, You Am Me; His Motorbike, Her Island, a melodrama surrounding a love-stricken biker gang; the gonzo, cosmic fantasy of School in the Crosshairs; and Lonely Heart, a favorite of Akira Kurosawa.
“Against wildly ingenious chroma-key composites and characterized by his unflagging optimism for the youth of Japan, Obayashi’s youth passages are caught up in the ages of transition, demonstrably attuned to the extraordinary nature of ordinary adolescence.”
Head to the Japan Society’s website for more information on the full lineup.
Japan Society
333 E 47th St,
New York, NY 10017
