Two disaffected young lovers live at the breaking point of conventional society. Deeply rooted in the socio-political climate of post-occupation Japan, Oshima's third feature explores some of the themes & motifs he would soon become famous for, most notably the experience of youth. Doing more than perhaps any other film to establish the notion of a Japanese new wave, this candy-coloured sucker punch makes extensive use of hand-held cameras & location shooting.
Beginning with a Korean army deserter stealing the clothes of a Japanese high school student, Oshima's sprawling, hilarious look at mix-ups over who is Korean & who is not, achieves an appropriate balance of comedy (chases, misunderstandings & conundrums) & satire without detracting from its more serious concerns - the maltreatment of Koreans by the Japanese. A Brechtian bricolage that dazzles the mind.
"Great Directors Critical Database: Nagisa Oshima" - Nelson Kim
Krzysztof Kieslowski - Michael Mann - Jacques Rivette - Czech Cinema - Russian SciFi - Germany '45-60 - Lee Marvin