Who doesn’t love going to the movies? Who doesn’t love free stuff? How’s about free movies? That’s the deal at stunning picture palace the Hayden Orpheum this week.
They’re running a totally free retrospective of celebrated Japanese filmmaker Nobuhiko Ōbayashi, in partnership with the Japanese Film Festival Australia. Finding Serenity in Chaos: A Nobuhiko Ōbayashi Tribute celebrates the late, great pioneer of experimental cinema by fielding four of his most luminous films from March 11-14, and every single screening is free for adventurous movie lovers who want to expand their horizons.
Mammoth back home in Japan, particularly during the ‘60s, Obayashi hasn’t always got the love that he deserves in the West. So this is the perfect way to play catch up and be astounded, all without dipping into your pockets. He loved to create mesmerising new worlds with liberal use of green screen way before Marvel or the Star Wars movies were a thing. And expect lashings of luscious colour in his trippy visuals.
The retrospective kicks off with Labyrinth of Cinema. His final film, this magnum opus is also a movie about the love of cinema. When lightning strikes during an old war movie marathon at a cinema that’s closing down, four villagers find themselves trapped inside the silver screen. They then have to battle their way through a bunch of genres. Next up, Hanagatami is a psychedelic love letter to young heartache that’s set in a seaside town on the eve of WWII. Then there’s Seven Weeks, which unveils family secrets during the 49-day funerary ritual for 92-year-old doctor Mitsuo Suzuki. And Casting Blossoms to the Sky examines the generosity of strangers after the 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. It’s a poignant look at the impact nuclear power has on ordinary Japanese citizens in the long shadow of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
While all the films are free, you need to book to secure a ticket, which you can do on the Orpheum site here.And you can find out more about more on the Japanese Film Festival Australia wesbite too. The films would be brilliant at the usual ticket price. For free? That’s priceless.
