JFF: Vengeance is Mine

JFF: Vengeance is Mine

(復讐するは我にあり) - Japanese Film Festival
Wed
25
Wed 25 Sep 6:00 PM

Arc Cinema
Subtitled
Allocated Seating
140 Mins
1979 DCP| JPN | D: Shohei Imamura | Japanese with English subtitles

Lawyer, professor and occasional lover; these are the pretentious masks Iwao Enokizu wears to conceal his true identity as Japan’s most wanted serial killer! Based on Akira Nishiguchi’s shocking killings and subsequent manhunt in 1963, Vengeance is Mine trails the murderer’s thrilling 78-day crime spree. A religiously devoted yet sinful family decide to shelter Enokizu despite knowing he is a murderer, revealing a reality where primitive urge, modern life and religious belief intertwine.

Beyond the true crime story, Imamura skillfully portrays the intricacies of human nature, where even the veneer of progress and modernity cannot conceal deep-seated urges and shame. Rich with masterful performances by acclaimed actors Ken Ogata and Mayumi Ogawa, Vengeance is Mine won multiple accolades, including Best Picture Award at the Japan Academy Film Prize. Morbid and unsettling, Imamura delivers a chilling exploration of the human psyche and moral ambiguity.

  • The film won the 1979 Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay Awards at the 3rd Japan Academy Film Prize
  • The film was awarded for Best Screenplay and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Ken Ogata) at the Yokohama Film Festival
  • Based on the book of the same name by Ryūzō Saki
  • The 4K digitally remastered version of the film was screened in the Classics section of the 77th Venice International Film Festival in 2020

PLEASE NOTE: This film is rated R18+. People under 18 cannot be admitted to the screening. 

Arc Cinema

1 McCoy Circuit Acton, Australian Capital Territory, 2601