A Man Vanishes

One of the Japanese Greats
A Man Vanishes (1967) is a fascinating film from one of my favorite Japanese directors, Shohei Imamura, that is difficult to categorize. It is intended as a documentary but takes on elements of fiction and staging throughout. However, it is the mystery of how so many people can disappear in such a small country-at the time of the film Imamaura states that in the last year 91,000 were disappeared in Japan. This film looks at the case of the disappearnce of a plastics salesman named Tadashi Oshima. Imamura and his crew set out to discover what happened to Tadashi by interviewing those who knew him best—his co-workers, friends, and his fiancée Yoshie. All the while gathering contradictory information concerning his character. But as their investigation delves deeper into Tadashi's dubious business ventures and his enigmatic relationship with Yoshie and, possibly, her sister, the line between filmmaker and subject, fact and fiction, blur. It can be said to be radical in its...

U.S. Release this fall
Icarus Films will release this on DVD in the United States later this year. In the US TV system (NTSC).



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