Mind Game (Maindo gēmu, Masaaki Yuasa, 2004, Japan)

We’re thrilled to present this anime cult classic and mind-bending work of mad genius. You’ll begin to grasp what you’re in for early when Nishi, too wimpy to try to save his childhood sweetheart from gangsters, is shot in the butt by a soccer-playing psychopath, projecting him into the afterlife. In this limbo, God—shown as a series of rapidly changing characters—tells Nishi to walk toward the light. But he runs like hell in the other direction and returns to Earth a changed man, driven to live each moment to the fullest. There’s no way to describe the roller coaster of delights and oddities contained in this film so come out and experience it for yourself! In Japanese with English subtitles. (103 mins., DCP)

See the entire A Summer Abroad: International Film Classics lineup.