Tezuka's Barbara

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Tezuka's Barbara

2019

1h 40m

Fantasy

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75%

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12 Reviews

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A mysterious young woman inspires a famous novelist to write again.

Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

Like Tezuka, Yosuke is drawing on the past, and on ancient, primal urges and taboos..., to inspire his present work. The result is an echoing hall of masks and mirrors, and a postmodern parable of art in the making and remaking.

Jun 28, 2021

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Richard Kuipers

Variety

Though too cool and distant to pack any great emotional punch, "Barbara" is never dull thanks to Nikaido's knockout central performance and top-class technical presentation.

Sep 1, 2020

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Deborah Young

The Hollywood Reporter

An exceedingly bizarre love story that is too distanced to be moving, but still has its visual and other pleasures.

Nov 7, 2019

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Grant Watson

VCinema

An effectively made film, and does show a relatively obscure and challenging side to the elder Tezuka's work. A lack of easily identifiable characters, however, and a frustrating lack of sympathy both make it a much easier film to admire than enjoy.

Rated: 6/10

May 9, 2021

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James Hadfield

Japan Times

"Tezuka's Barbara" is one of the most aesthetically striking movies to hit Japanese theaters this year. If only the rest of the film were so alluring.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 1, 2020

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Pieter-Jan Van Haecke

Psychocinematography

This moody narrative beautifully shows that addictive love serves nothing but the egoistic needs of the addicted subject - a love that consumes the subject if the love-object is unable to be consummated.

Sep 27, 2020

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Makoto Tezuka

Director

Goro Inagaki

Yosuke Mikura

Fumi Nikaidô

Barbara

Kiyohiko Shibukawa

Hiroyuki Yotsuya

Shizuka Ishibashi

Kanako Kai

Eriko Watanabe

Mnemosyne

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Synopsis

A mysterious young woman inspires a famous novelist to write again.

Director: Makoto Tezuka
Producer: Shunsuke Koga, Adam Torel
Screenwriter: Hisako Kurosawa
Production Co: Thefool, Rapid Eye Movies, Third Window Films
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1h 40m