TESHIGAHARA: FACE OF ANOTHER
Before taking on the family business of cutting-edge flower arranging, Hiroshi Teshigahara created avant garde films with futuristic elements and haunting, visual poetry. Like the Paris experience of Picasso, Cocteau, and Satie, Teshigara's Japan of the late 1950s/1960s was a fertile hotbed of collaboration with novelist Kobo Abe and composer Toru Takemitsu. Their 1966 film based on Abe's novel, Face of Another, should stand out for Spy Vibers for its Sci-Fi vibe and unforgettable, modern/graphic set designs. Fans of Akira Kurosawa will recognize lead actor Tatsuya Nakadai -often cast as the nemesis to Toshiro Mifune. Here, Nakadai is given a new face and leads us down the rabbit hole of this startling film about identity and trust. Recommended!