Summer Vacation 1999 １９９９年の夏休み（Sen-kyuhyaku-kyuju-kyu-nen no Natsuyasumi)

A student has committed suicide at a boys-only boarding school located in the middle of a forest. During the summer vacation of 1999, only three students remain and one day, a boy who looks exactly like the dead student shows up. Inspired by Thomas’ Heart (Toma no shinzo), a legendary popular manga by Moto Hagio, Shusuke Kaneko (1955- ) depicts teenage yearning, mystery and dark passion. The screenplay is by Rio Kishida, a long-time collaborator with poet-filmmaker-theater director Shuji Terayama, and the mesmerizing cinematography is by Kenji Takama.

Introduction by Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator, Film, Emeritus, The Museum of Modern Art. 1988, 90 min., 35mm, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Shusuke Kaneko. With Eri Miyajima, Tomoko Ohtakara, Miyuki Nakano, Rie Mizuhara (currently Eri Fukatsu). Voiceovers by Minami Takayama, Nozomu Sasaki, Hiromi Murata.

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