Cruel Story of Youth screening

Director: Nagisa Oshima. Cast: Yusuke Kawazu, Miyuki Kuwano, Yoshiko Kuga, Fumio Watanabe. Shochiku Studios. Color. 96 minutes.
Oshima's groundbreaking entry into the burgeoning genre of youth films. Eschewing the idealistic optimism previously associated with this form, Oshima created a film that highlights the anger and cynicism of Japan's postwar youth. The film paints a stark portrait of disillusioned youngsters who recklessly engage in the badger game to extort money from middle-aged men. Matching the chaotic, unfocused energy exhibited by his young protagonists, Oshima utilized a film style that exudes kinetic force. Largely shot on location in neighborhoods like Shinjuku and Shibuya, the film offers a glimpse of the shifting topography of Tokyo in the early 1960s.