japanese new wave
34 movies and shows
Woman in the Dunes
Sat, 15 Feb 1964
A vacationing entomologist suffers extreme physical and psychological trauma after being taken captive by the residents of a poor seaside village and made to live with a woman whose life task is shoveling sand for them.
Pitfall
Sun, 01 Jul 1962
A man wanders into a seemingly deserted town with his young son in search of work. But after a bit of bad luck, he joins the town's population of lost souls.
The Face of Another
Fri, 15 Jul 1966
A businessman with a disfigured face obtains a lifelike mask from his doctor, but the mask starts altering his personality.
Tokyo Drifter
Sun, 10 Apr 1966
After yakuza boss Kurata dissolves his own criminal empire, a rival kingpin offers a position to Kurata's top operative, Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo. When the fiercely loyal Tetsu declines, Otsuka taps unstoppable Tatsuzo the "Viper", a ruthless gun-for-hire, to assassinate him. As the Viper trails his target through the countryside, the agile Phoenix Tetsu grows concerned that one of his former associates has betrayed him.
Pale Flower
Sun, 01 Mar 1964
A gangster gets released from prison and has to cope with the recent shifts of power between the gangs, while taking care of a thrill-seeking young woman, who got in bad company while gambling.
The Pornographers
Sat, 12 Mar 1966
Subu makes pornographic films. He sees nothing wrong with it. They are an aid to a repressed society, and he uses the money to support his landlady, Haru, and her family. From time to time, Haru shares her bed with Subu, though she believes her dead husband, reincarnated as a carp, disapproves. Director Shohei Imamura has always delighted in the kinky exploits of lowlifes, and in this 1966 classic, he finds subversive humor in the bizarre dynamics of Haru, her Oedipal son, and her daughter, the true object of her pornographer-boyfriend’s obsession. Imamura’s comic treatment of such taboos as voyeurism and incest sparked controversy when the film was released, but The Pornographers has outlasted its critics, and now seems frankly ahead of its time.
Fighting Elegy
Wed, 09 Nov 1966
Kiroku boards with a Roman Catholic family and falls for the daughter Michiko. He ignores his feelings, joins a gang, gets in fights and, eventually, becomes involved with the radical Kita Ikki group.
The Naked Island
Wed, 23 Nov 1960
A family of four are the sole inhabitants of a small island, where they struggle each day to irrigate their crops.
Gate of Flesh
Sun, 31 May 1964
In the shady black markets and bombed-out hovels of post–World War II Tokyo, a tough band of prostitutes eke out a dog-eat-dog existence, maintaining tenuous friendships and a semblance of order in a world of chaos. But when a renegade ex-soldier stumbles into their midst, lusts and loyalties clash, with tragic results. With Gate of Flesh, visionary director Seijun Suzuki delivers a whirlwind of social critique and pulp drama, shot through with brilliant colors and raw emotions.
Crazed Fruit
Thu, 12 Jul 1956
Two brothers compete for the amorous favors of a young woman during a seaside summer of gambling, boating, and drinking.
The Sun's Burial
Tue, 09 Aug 1960
In Osaka's slum, youths without futures engage in pilfering, assault and robbery, prostitution, and the buying and selling of identity cards and of blood. Alliances constantly shift. Tatsu and Takeshi, friends since boyhood, reluctantly join Shin's gang. Shin's an upstart and moves his gang often to avoid the local kingpin. Hanoko is a young woman with ambitions: first she's in the blood business with her father, then she joins forces with Shin. She soon breaks off that partnership, even though she's taken the sensitive Takeshi under her wing. Double crosses multiply. Those with the closest bonds become each others' murderers.
Cruel Story of Youth
Fri, 03 Jun 1960
A budding gangster enthralls a freeloading young woman, soon taking advantage of her knack for hitch-hiking to rob middle-class, middle-aged men.
Intentions of Murder
Sun, 28 Jun 1964
The neglected common-law wife of a Japanese librarian is repeatedly harassed by a young man with a heart condition who seduces her with the prospect of a better life.
Street of Love and Hope
Tue, 17 Nov 1959
A young man runs a scam selling pigeons that always return to his home. He falls under the wing of Kyoko, an older student whose heart is touched after Masuo sells his pigeons to her. However, after his scam is revealed, can these feelings truly remain the same?
Tattooed Life
Sat, 13 Nov 1965
After his own gang sets him up to kill a rival mobster, a hit man is forced to flee with his younger brother.
Giants and Toys
Sun, 22 Jun 1958
Nishi is an advertising executive for a caramel company that is planning to launch a new product, in fierce competition with two other companies.
Assassination
Sat, 04 Jul 1964
Assassination begins with the events of 1853 when "four black ships" anchored at Edo Bay, sparking civil unrest and the major political manoeuvring that saw the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. At a time when assassination had become a disturbing political tool, Shinoda's film follows Hachiro Kiyokawa, an ambitious, masterless samurai whose allegiances drift dangerously between the Shogunate and the Emperor.
Love for an Idiot
Sat, 29 Jul 1967
A middle-aged factory engineer trains, marries, and ultimately loses a teenage bride after she enslaves him to her whims.
Punishment Room
Thu, 28 Jun 1956
Shimada is a student of U College. When the college's baseball team wins the day, he and his friend Ito drug two girls they met at the game.
Gushing Prayer
Wed, 04 Aug 1971
High-school student Yasuko, indulges in sex to liberate herself from a corrupt adult society. Driven by the encouragement of her peers to feel what it is like to be a prostitute, Yasuko sets out an odyssey of self-exploration in search of complete satiation.