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Japan Society Announces “Obayashi ’80s: The Onomichi Trilogy & Kadokawa Years”

Japan Society Announces "Obayashi ’80s: The Onomichi Trilogy & Kadokawa Years"

Perhaps best known for his electrifying 1977 cult masterpiece House (1938-2020) also produced some of Japan’s most beloved seishun eiga (youth films) throughout the 1980s. Opening with a rare 35mm import of his playful coming-of-age body-swap feature I Are You, You Am Me (Exchange Students)Obayashi ’80s showcases the filmmaker’s rarely seen yet beloved Onomichi Trilogy, set within the winding paths of his hometown of Onomichi—the iconic seaside setting of Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story—along with Kadokawa-era classics illustrating his idiosyncratic cinematic language and eternal themes of lost love and nostalgia.

Browse the lineup and become a Japan Society member to save 20% per ticket on all series screenings for you and a guest!

I Are You, You Am Me (Exchange Students)

Imported 35mm Print. A playful melange of amateur small-gauge, b&w and color photography, Obayashi’s first entry in his hometown trilogy spins into a gender-swap youth film when two classmates switch bodies after a steep fall.

Friday, February 7, 7 pm →

Thursday, February 13, 9 pm →

School in the Crosshairs

A psychotronic fantasy forged into a young girl’s destiny to defend the planet, School in the Crosshairs is a cosmic overload of extraterrestrial fascists, preternatural powers and Obayashi’s uniquely adroit filmmaking abilities.

Friday, February 7, 9:15 pm →

Sunday, February 9, 7:15 pm →

The Little Girl Who Conquered Time

Schoolgirl Kazuko begins to experience time leaps backwards and forwards in time, disorienting her as she yearns to stay in the present. Obayashi’s second Onomichi film is a genuine expression of the transcendence of love—one cast across the stars for a young girl who lives in tomorrow.

Saturday, February 8, 5 pm →

Friday, February 14, 7 pm →

Still from “The Little Girl Who Conquered Time”

(Miss Lonely)

40th Anniversary—Imported 16mm Print. The final installment in Obayashi’s Onomichi Trilogy is a virtuosic ode to first love and the intrinsic emotions that arise with it as a young boy falls in love and encounters a mysterious girl in the viewfinder of his analog camera.

Saturday, February 8, 8 pm →

The Island Closest to Heaven

Fulfilling her late father’s dream to take her to “the island closest to heaven,” bookish teen Mari ventures solo to a paradise-laden archipelago in search of the mythic locale.

Sunday, February 9, 5 pm →

His Motorbike, Her Island

A nostalgia-filled reminiscence, Obayashi’s monochromatic dream playfully worships the biker culture of yesteryear, delivering a sentimental and liberating take on young love.

Thursday, February 13, 7 pm →

Friday, February 14, 9 pm →

To see the full program follow this link.

About the author

Rouven Linnarz

Ever since I watched Takeshi Kitano's "Hana-Bi" for the first time (and many times after that) I have been a cinephile. While much can be said about the technical aspects of film, coming from a small town in Germany, I cherish the notion of art showing its audience something which one does normally avoid, neglect or is unable to see for many different reasons. Often the stories told in films have helped me understand, discover and connect to something new which is a concept I would like to convey in the way I talk and write about films. Thus, I try to include some info on the background of each film as well as a short analysis (without spoilers, of course), an approach which should reflect the context of a work of art no matter what genre, director or cast. In the end, I hope to pass on my joy of watching film and talking about it.

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