The UNIQLO Festival of Films from Japan returns with a showcase of bold new titles and restored classics. This year's lineup includes Monster, the explosive new drama from Palm d'Or winner Hirokazu Koreeda (Shoplifters, Broker); Nobuhiko Obayashi's 1977 cult horror classic House; and a 70th-anniversary screening of Akira Kurosawa's timeless epic Seven Samurai. Join us for this annual celebration of the brightest gems of Japanese Cinema.

Schedule of Events

February 23, 2024

7:00 pm–8:30 pm: House

Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi (Japan, 1977, 88 min.). Japanese with English subtitles.

How to describe Nobuhiko Obayashi's 1977 movie House? As a psychedelic ghost tale? A stream-of-consciousness bedtime story? A giallo-style episode of Scooby-Doo? Any of the above will do for this hallucinatory head trip about a schoolgirl who travels with six classmates to her ailing aunt's creaky country home and comes face to face with evil spirits, a demonic house cat, a bloodthirsty piano, and other ghoulish visions—all realized by Obayashi via inventive animation and collage effects. Equally absurd and nightmarish, House may have been beamed to Earth from some other planet. Newly restored by Criterion.

February 29, 2024

7:00 pm–9:00 pm: Monster

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda (Japan, 2023, 127 min.). Japanese with English subtitles.

Palm d'Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters, Broker) directs this unique mystery-thriller about the secret lives of children. When a young boy begins behaving strangely, his mother feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what's going on. But as the story unfolds through the eyes of mother, teacher, and child, a striking truth begins to emerge. Monster's aching musical score was the final work by towering composer Riuichi Sakamoto before his death in 2023; the film is dedicated to Sakamoto's memory.

Winner of the Queer Palm and Best Screenplay awards at the Cannes Film festival, and the British Independent Film Award for Best International Independent Film.

March 3, 2024

2:30 pm–4:30 pm: Blue Giant

Directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa (Japan, 2023, 120 min.). Japanese with English subtitles.

High school student Dai Miyamoto has his life is turned upside down the day he discovers jazz. Picking up a saxophone and leaving his sleepy hometown for the bustling nightclubs of Tokyo, Dai finds that the life of a professional musician isn't for the faint of heart, as he must confront what it truly means to be great. Director Yuzuru Tachikawa (Mob Psycho 100) brings the award-winning manga brilliantly to life, capturing raw live jazz performances with emotive color and lyrical imagery that immerse viewers in a packed club, breathlessly watching a rising star at the moment of his ascension. Even for those uninitiated to jazz or anime (or both), Blue Giant is a cinematic experience that lingers long after the lights go up.

March 16, 2024

1:00 pm–4:45 pm: Seven Samurai

Directed by Akira Kurosawa (Japan, 1954, 207 min.). Japanese with English subtitles. 70th anniversary.

Seven Samurai, one of the most thrilling movie epics of all time, celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2024. The film tells the story of a 16th-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits. This three-plus-hour ride from Akira Kurosawa—featuring legendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura—seamlessly weaves philosophy with entertainment and delicate human emotions with relentless action into a rich, evocative, and unforgettable tale of courage and hope.

March 29, 2024

7:00 pm–9:00 pm: Blue Giant

Directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa (Japan, 2023, 120 min.). Japanese with English subtitles.

High school student Dai Miyamoto has his life is turned upside down the day he discovers jazz. Picking up a saxophone and leaving his sleepy hometown for the bustling nightclubs of Tokyo, Dai finds that the life of a professional musician isn't for the faint of heart, as he must confront what it truly means to be great. Director Yuzuru Tachikawa (Mob Psycho 100) brings the award-winning manga brilliantly to life, capturing raw live jazz performances with emotive color and lyrical imagery that immerse viewers in a packed club, breathlessly watching a rising star at the moment of his ascension. Even for those uninitiated to jazz or anime (or both), Blue Giant is a cinematic experience that lingers long after the lights go up.

April 4, 2024

7:00 pm–9:00 pm: Perfect Days

Directed by Wim Wenders (Japan, Germany, 2024, 123 min.). Japanese with English subtitles.

Helmed by Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire; Paris, Texas) with a screenplay by Wenders and Takuma Takasaki, Perfect Days is a lyrical portrait tracing the daily movements of a man named Hirayama (K?ji Yakusho; Tampopo, Shall We Dance). Deeply content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, Hirayama also cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and photographing trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.

Date:
February 23 and 29, 2024
March 3, 16, and 29, 2024
April 4, 2024

Cost:
Members: $12.00
Nonmembers: $15.00

Location:
Museum of Fine Arts Boston,
465 Huntington Avenue,
Boston, MA 02115.

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