Black Sun

Nearly two decades after the end of the war, Japan is shown as a quasi-apocalyptic landscape. The main character, Mei, is an aimless, jazz-obsessed drifter living in the bombed-out ruins of a church. Posters of his heroes Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and Charles Mingus cover his walls, his dog is called Thelonious Monk, and his most prized possession is a Max Roach record. An encounter with a wounded African-American soldier on the run—who, like Mei, is a social outcast— sets into motion a sequence of projections and misunderstandings. Koreyoshi Kurahara (1927–2002) began his career as a successful director in the 1950s with Studio Nikkatsu, which was known for its genre films. Some of his best works were made in the 1960s. BLACK SUN is like a fever dream, characterized by untamed energy and a nervous jazz soundtrack.