First Love

aka: Hatsukoi
Japan 2019, 108 minutes
Dir. Takashi Miike
In Japanese with English subtitles
Rating: [R16] Graphic violence & offensive language
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Action/Adventure, Comedy

Feat. Masataka Kubota, Nao Omori, Shota Sometani, Takahiro Miura, Sakurako Konishi

“Frequently sublime ... a piece of work so feral and full of life that you’d never guess it was (at least) the 90th feature its director has made in the last 30 years.”~David Ehrlich, IndieWire

Aroview: Crime thriller from prolific Japanese auteur director Takashi Miike set over a single night in Tokyo, where a down-on-his luck boxer and a call-girl get caught up in a drug smuggling scheme, and are pursued through the night by a corrupt cop, a yakuza member, his nemesis, and an assassin sent by the Chinese Triads.

A wildly entertaining blend of bloody violence, black comedy and romance wrapped up in an exhilarating pop-punk visual style.