Poem

Film · AKIO JISSOJI: THE BUDDHIST TRILOGY

Saturday, February 15, 7 PM
Saturday, February 22, 4 PM

The final entry in Jissoji’s trilogy is also the most austere, marking a stark departure in style and substance from his previous two films. A severely ascetic young man employed by a wealthy family takes it upon himself to protect their large estate and the spiritual lineage of Japanese tradition it symbolizes despite the family’s amoral sons’ apathy and embrace of Western values. Recalling postwar masterworks such as Kon Ichikawa’s Conflagration (1958) and Yuzo Kawashima’s The Temple of Wild Geese (1962), Poem similarly questions the place of purity within the cruel reality of modern life.

1972, 136 min., DCP, b&w, in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Akio Jissoji. With Saburo Shinoda, Eiko Yanami, Hiroko Sakurai, Ryo Tamura, Shin Kishida.

Part of Akio Jissoji: The Buddhist Trilogy

Tickets: $14/$11 seniors & students/$10 Japan Society members

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