Circus Boys

『二十世紀少年読本』
Nijusseiki shonen dokuhon

Special Announcement: We regret to inform that Director Kaizo Hayashi is no longer able to attend on October 11 and 12 due to a last-minute conflict. We are excited to present So As to Dream and hope to welcome Hayashi in the future.

Imported 35mm Print. With its more fitting Japanese title—“20th Century Boys Reader”—lost in translation, Kaizo Hayashi’s Circus Boys adheres to a pre-cinematic age of dream-making, one that appeals to boyhood wonder told through the virtues of imaginative fictions ascribed in periodicals and juvenile fictions. Brothers Junta and Wataru join the ranks of a traveling circus, finding a home among a troupe of painted clowns, tightrope acts and trapeze artists. A parting of ways takes place late one stormy night as the pair find themselves led down separate paths: Wataru tries to maintain the circus and its repute while Junta (Hiroshi Mikami, Grass Labyrinth) becomes a wandering snake oil salesman—using his well-practiced sleight of hand to deceive and swindle. With accentuated chiaroscuro lighting and expressionist shadowplay, Hayashi’s tribute to the bygone age of traveling shows and theatrical showmanship erupts into tragedy and hardship under the twilight gleam of a crescent moon.

Dir. Kaizo Hayashi, 1989, 35mm, 106 min., b&w, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Hiroshi Mikami, Xiu Jian, Michiru Akiyoshi, Moe Kamura.

Part of So as To Dream: The Eternal Mysteries of Kaizo Hayashi
October 11-19, 2024

Special Thanks to Bret Berg (American Genre Film Archive); Miyuki Takamatsu and Yuko Takagi (Freestone); Kaizo Hayashi; Nicolas Raffin (ICA); Kyoko Omori; and Monika Uchiyama.

Japan Society programs are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Film programs are generously supported by ORIX Corporation USA, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Anime NYC and Yen Press. Endowment support is provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund and The John and Miyoko Davey Endowment Fund. Additional season support is provided by The Globus Family, George P. Hirose, David Toberisky, Joseph Rajaratnam and Dharshini Iolanthe Sivakumarann, and Film Circle members.

Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the official Japanese airline sponsor of Japan Society Film Program. Housing assistance is provided by the Prince Kitano New York, the official hotel sponsor of Japan Society Film Program.