Monsters Club

U.S. Premiere
Co-presented with The New York Asian Film Festival
Introduction and Q&A with director Toshiaki Toyoda

Struck by a lightning bolt of inspiration after reading Unabomber Ted Kaczynski’s manifesto, director Toshiaki Toyoda headed up into the mountains where he filmed without a script for two weeks, retelling the Unabomber story from the point of view of the bomber. Ryoichi has withdrawn to a snowbound mountain cabin where he mails out letter bombs to corrupt CEOs, writes in his journal, and goes about the hard business of living off the grid. But he can’t escape society, it’s too big and too hungry to let anyone go for long. Haunted by a monster (inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s Totoro, and played by Japan’s genius pansexual drag artist, Pyuupiru) Ryoichi is dragged closer and closer to returning to civilization, a move that threatens to shatter him into pieces.

Japan. 2011. 71 min., 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Toshiaki Toyoda. With Eita, Ken Ken, Yosuke Kubozuka, Jun Kunimura.

Part of JAPAN CUTS 2012

TICKETS
$12/$9 Japan Society members, seniors and students

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