Double Suicide

One of former theater student Shinoda’s towering masterpieces, this hyper stylized tragedy adapts a 1721 play by the legendary Japanese dramatist Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Originally written for the bunraku (puppet theater) tradition, Shinoda’s film uses human actors—but also integrates the black-clad puppeteers of bunraku. Following the travails of an Osaka merchant and his courtesan lover, Shinoda’s film is simultaneously indebted to tradition and bracingly modern. With a score by avant garde composer Toru Takemitsu and equally stylized sets and costumes, the film stands amongst the most daring statements of the Japanese New Wave.