Bara no soretsu

The feature film debut of filmmaker and video artist Toshio Matsumoto (1932–2017) and a seminal work of queer cinema and Japan’s Nouvelle Vague, BARA NO SORETSU is a parodic interpretation of the mythical tale of Oedipus transposed into the gay subculture of Tokyo. Eddie is a drag queen in the Genet bar, where he competes with his colleague Leda for the favor of bar owner Gonda. Enlivened by his amateur actors, Matsumoto paints a spirited, over-the-top portrait of the gay culture of that era and undergirds the narrative with an escalation of poppy distancing effects. Matsumoto himself makes an appearance as an interviewer questioning his actors about the film.