LABYRINTH OF CINEMA ( Nobuhiko Ôbayashi 2019)

Sept. 27, 2021. I finally managed to watch the whole three hours of this remarkable final film made at age 82 shortly before Obayashi's death. It's a kind of summation, being a catch-all fluently combining themes of cinema, Japanese history, the horror of war, and an indictment of Japan's leaders for failing the Japanese people in WWII. Stay for the last half hour - it's dazzling! See Peter Bradshaw's review for the Guardian here. As Bradshaw says, "Everything but the kitchen sink is thrown into the mix," 'but, amazingly, it works. Should be watched by all dedicated fans of Japanese cinema. It has cult potential, I should think.