This Transient Life

February 22, 2020
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Film past event
Film · AKIO JISSOJI: THE BUDDHIST TRILOGY

Saturday, February 15, 1 PM*
Saturday, February 22, 7 PM

*Introduction with Ethan Spigland, Professor of Humanities & Media Studies, Pratt University

Winner of the 1970 Locarno Film Festival’s Golden Leopard and an instant theatrical hit for the Art Theater Guild (ATG), Jissoji’s controversial debut concerns a brother and sister who retreat into an incestuous relationship in defiance of every social and moral obligation put upon them—a taboo act of self-willed liberation that leads to more than one tragedy. A challenging work featuring breathtaking black-and-white compositions and extravagant camera movements, This Transient Life is often regarded as Jissoji’s masterpiece and an unheralded highlight of ATG’s game-changing productions.

1970, 145 min., DCP, b&w, in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Akio Jissoji. With Ryo Tamura, Eiji Okada, Michiko Tsukasa, Mitsuko Tanaka, Minori Terada.

Part of Akio Jissoji: The Buddhist Trilogy

Tickets: $14/$11 seniors, students & persons with disabilities/$10 Japan Society members

Box Office Policy


  • Saturday, February 22, 2020
  • 7:00 pm