Death by Hanging (Koshikei)

1968, 114 min., 16 mm,, b&w.

Directed by Nagisa Oshima. Written by Takeshi Tamura, Mamoru Sasaki, Michinori Fukao and Nagisa Oshima. With Yun-Do Yun, Akiko Koyama, Kei Sato, Fumio Watanabe and Mutsuhiro Toura. Distributed by New Yorker Films.

From a new-left political stance, Nagisa Oshima presents a radical criticism of the notion of law, nation and capital punishment in this satirical drama about a Korean-Japanese boy who is accused of rape and murder, and survives death by hanging. Based on a true incident of a Korean youth executed for his crime, Oshima’s innovative forms make this low-budget film daringly experimental and thought-provoking.

See press coverage of this series on the following pages of our press room:
The Village Voice, 1/23/03
The New York Times, 1/24/03