Rebel auteur Nagisa Oshima’s groundbreaking second feature gets a 4K restoration makeover (supervised by cinematographer Takashi Kawamata) that breathes new life into the film’s vibrant colors and unhinged widescreen photography. A critical and commercial success upon its release, this consistently unforgiving tale of a disenfranchised teenage couple’s doomed relationship set among seedy Tokyo backstreets, bars and bedrooms still manages to feel unnervingly contemporary. A seminal classic of youthful unrest and revolt, Cruel Story of Youth introduced 28-year-old Oshima to the world as the cinematic revolutionary he would continue to be throughout the rest of his career.

Japan. 1961. 96 min. DCP, in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Nagisa Oshima. With Miyuki Kuwano, Yusuke Kawazu, Yoshiko Kuga.

“The restored 4K print explodes onto the screen, its once faded colours now a heady retro rainbow.” -The Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival