The Most Terrible Time in My LIFE

『我が人生最悪の時』 
Waga jinsei saiaku no toki

30th Anniversary—International Premiere of 4K Restoration. Masatoshi Nagase stars as Yokohama private eye Maiku Hama—a Japanese approximation of Mike Hammer, pulp fiction writer Mickey Spillane’s hardboiled Kiss Me Deadly P.I.—in Hayashi’s offbeat monochromatic neo noir. A likably gawkish semblance of cool dressed in Sun Tribe attire, Nagase’s cash-strapped underdog gets in way over his head as he tries to locate the missing brother of a Taiwanese immigrant, finding himself caught in the crosshairs of something more sinister: a spat between warring gang factions from Taipei and Hong Kong. Indebted to American detective noir and Nikkatsu action (a legendary chipmunk-cheeked Nikkatsu star even appears as Hama’s mentor), Hayashi and Nagase effortlessly revive the genre in this stylized distillation of the era, delivering a sleek, fast-paced detective story chockablock with thrills and double crosses.

Dir. Kaizo Hayashi, 1994, 92 min., DCP, b&w, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Masatoshi Nagase, Shiro Sano, Kiyotaka Nanbara, Shinya Tsukamoto.

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

© 2023 FOR LIFE MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

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.