Tag Archives: Japanese gay film

Hush (ハッシュ)

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  • Hush (ハッシュ)

8/28/26 (Fri)

 (Looking for hair on their bellies)

This is the 25th anniversary of writer/director Hashiguchi Ryosuke’s seminal gay film, which I haven’t seen since it came out. I remember little more than that I enjoyed it, but I thought of it when I saw one of the leads, Takahashi Kazuya, in this year’s Samurai Vengeance as a, let’s say, unconventional-looking onnagata. This film was back when he was young and beautiful, as were we all.

The story of two gay men and a woman who wants a baby sounded like a setup for a typical romcom, but the film takes an unexpected turn into more profound territory. Continue reading →

Farewell to Spring (惜春鳥)

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  • 惜春鳥 (Farewell to Spring)

7/30/19 (Tues)

Kinoshita Keisuke’s (Twenty-Four Eyes, Like a Wild Chrysanthemum) 1959 Farewell to Spring — the poetic Japanese title refers to a bird that awakens wistful memories of spring, i.e., lost youth — has been called Japan’s first gay movie, but that definition would have to be stretched fairly liberally. One man’s return to his hometown after university spurs the old gang of five to get back together, a reunion that proves bittersweet.

Continue reading →