Seijun Suzuki’s 1967 psychosexual oddball yakuza masterpiece!
“A killer mustn't be human. He must be tough and cool.”
In the 1960s, Japanese cinema was in the midst of a renaissance, referred to as the Japanese New Wave period. Supported financially by the studio system, directors like Yoshishige Yoshida, Masahiro Shinoda, and Seijun Suzuki were able to create widely seen films that explored the further reaches of radical politics, violence, sexuality, queerness, and marginalization. Suzuki, in particular, was incredibly prolific, directing 40 films for the Nikkatsu Company from 1956 to 1967 before the film that almost ruined him, his magnum opus, BRANDED TO K*ll.
(Deep breath) This movie is bizarre, y’all. Psychosexual, bitingly satirical, and dreamily nonsensical. This picture’s a trip. BRANDED TO K*ll follows the absurd and surreal journey of hitman Goro Hanada (Joe Shishido) as he flounders a mission from femme fatale Misako Nakajo (Annu Mari) and becomes the target of No. 1 Killer (Koji Nonbara), the best hitman in the business. Reveling in fractured masculinity, esoteric fetishes, and delirious forms of desire, BRANDED TO K*ll is an absurdist masterpiece that queers the yakuza crime genre. Financially unsuccessful and critically panned, BRANDED TO K*ll led to Suzuki being fired by the Nikkatsu Company for “making movies that make no sense and no money.” As is often the case, the misunderstood work of art went on to gather a cult following and is now appreciated for the unique, sleezy gem that it is. And we can’t wait to showcase it as part of your favorite misunderstood cult screening series, Queer Film Theory 101.
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