Labyrinth of Cinema

Released Oct 20, 2021

2h 59m

Comedy

Drama

Fantasy

War

Sci-Fi

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List

90%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

Setouchi Kinema, the only movie theater on the Onomichi seafront, is about to close its doors. Its last night of existence will be an all-night marathon screening of Japanese war films. When lightning strikes the theater, three young men in the audience find themselves thrown back in time into the world inside the screen. The trio are thrust into the Boshin War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Battle of Okinawa and then finally Hiroshima on the eve of the atomic bombing. There, they meet the traveling theater troupe "Sakura-tai". But can they alter the course of destiny to save the troupe?

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Critics Consensus

Ambitious to a fault, Labyrinth of Cinema concludes writer-director Nobuhiko Ôbayashi's career on an epic, immersive high note.

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Audience Member

The final film by Nobuhiko Obayashi, Labyrinth of Cinema has the late director returning to the subject of Japan's history of warfare. If Obayashi had only made one movie — and that movie was House — he would still be celebrated. This film brings his career — and life — full circle to a small movie theater in the seaside town where Obayashi shot a dozen films in his early. years. During an all-night showing of war movies, lightning takes three men through a cinematic journey through Japan's history of war and the sixty years of his career. Shot and edited his final film while Obayashi was receiving cancer treatment, this film finds the artist recreating, commenting on and even making fun of Japan's warrior cinematic history. The boys are trying to rescue Noriko, who has tumbled into the screen. but that's just the story skeleton for Obayashi to hang his theme of cinema being at once a seducer and a source of empty promises. There's also a time traveler involved, frequent appearances of animation, remembrances of other directors and the title that reminds you out loud that this is a movie, not real, but a piece of filmed art to fall into yourself, explore and wonder about your place in the world, just as the creative genius that gave it birth did, staring at the end of his life. Somehow, this movie makes three hours feel like three minutes. Were that all experiences were this filled with promise, with joy and with inspiration that maybe we can all retain our artistic ideals like its creator.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Nobuhiko Ôbayashi

Director

Takuro Atsuki

Mario

Takahito Hosoyamada

Hosuke

Yoshihiko Hosoda

Shigeru

Rei Yoshida

Noriko

Riko Narumi

Kazumi

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Labyrinth of Cinema: Movie Clip

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Jenny Nulf

Austin Chronicle

Labyrinth of Cinema's breathtaking journey through time is a stunning endeavor, as timeless as they come, like much of the master's work.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 31, 2021

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Richard Kuipers

Variety

Emerges as a touching plea for peace and an exuberant celebration of the artifice and transformative power of cinema.

Oct 29, 2021

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Simon Abrams

RogerEbert.com

Labyrinth of Cinema is tremendously affecting, frequently beguiling, usually exhausting, and on, and on, and on.

Rated: 4/4

Oct 20, 2021

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Carson Timar

Filmotomy

Labyrinth of Cinema still serves as a justified sendoff for legendary director Nobuhiko Obayashi, even if it wont go down as his magnum opus.

Feb 12, 2022

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Kathy Fennessy

Video Librarian Magazine

Ôbayashi’s swan song proves that his passion, loopy sense of humor, and visual ingenuity remained fully intact until the end.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 8, 2022

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Robin Clifford

Reeling Reviews

"Labyrinth of Cinema" is good film for us movie buffs out there but it may be too long a slog for the average movie lover, especially because the octogenarian spends the last hour preaching his philosophy and political stance.

Rated: B+

Jan 7, 2022

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Synopsis

Setouchi Kinema, the only movie theater on the Onomichi seafront, is about to close its doors. Its last night of existence will be an all-night marathon screening of Japanese war films. When lightning strikes the theater, three young men in the audience find themselves thrown back in time into the world inside the screen. The trio are thrust into the Boshin War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Battle of Okinawa and then finally Hiroshima on the eve of the atomic bombing. There, they meet the traveling theater troupe "Sakura-tai". But can they alter the course of destiny to save the troupe?

Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
Screenwriter: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
Distributor: Crescendo House
Production Co: PSC
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, War, Sci-Fi
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 20, 2021, Limited
Runtime: 2h 59m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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