Hana-bi

『はなび』

In-Person Screening

Friday, April 1 at 7pm

25th Anniversary — Archival 35mm Presentation! Crippled by tragedies at home and work, a depressed police detective (Takeshi Kitano) resolves to rectify his situation and the lives of those around him through illicit means. Told through elliptical editing and interspersed with flora-inspired canvases painted by Kitano himself, Hana-bi oscillates between tender moments and temperamental bouts of violence, delicately constructing an affecting and melancholic meditation on mortality. Following its Golden Lion win at Venice, Hana-bi served as Kitano’s directorial breakthrough in Japan, cementing his position as a serious filmmaker after years of eluding critical stature and recognition at home.

35mm print courtesy of the Chicago Film Society.

Dir. Takeshi Kitano, 1997, 103 min., 35mm. With Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Osugi, Susumu Terajima.