The Red Spectacles (Mamoru Oshii, 1987)
This Japanese sci-fi neo noir is the first live-action film by the acclaimed anime director of Ghost in the Shell (1995).
Film/Video Theater
Introduced by Ei Toshinari, Small Sensations!
New Restoration
The Red Spectacles is a dystopian futuristic comedy, equal parts Godard’s Alphavilleand Chris Marker’s La Jetee. The first film in Oshii’s Kerberos Saga, the film follows Todome (Shigeru Chiba), a former police detective who flees Tokyo after his elite police unit is shut down due to its fanatical approach to crime fighting. After three years on the run, Todome returns to Tokyo—unrecognizable due to decay and neglect—hoping to reunite with the two trusted colleagues he had to leave behind. In Japanese with English subtitles. (116 mins., 4K DCP)
Ei Toshinari is the founder of Small Sensations!, a distributor drawn to cinema that lives in the quiet corners.