TIFF Talks's video: Kieran Grant on MERRY CHRISTMAS MR LAWRENCE TIFF 2019

In the Realm of Oshima: The Best of Japanese Master Nagisa Oshima 11/16/19 Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (Senjo no Meri Kurisumasu) Nagisa Oshima UK, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND | 1983 | Japanese, English 123 minutes Set in a World War II POW camp in Java, Oshima's late-career triumph features two rock icons playing arch-nemeses: David Bowie as Celliers, an upper-crust New Zealand officer hiding a guilty family secret; and Ryuichi Sakamoto (who composed the film's hypnotically spare music track) as the fanatical camp commander Yonoi, whose Mishima-like obsession with hara-kiri is replaced by a growing fixation on his androgynous blonde prisoner. Mystified and intrigued by each other's code of honour, the two share tea and joust over cultural differences, until a series of incidents locks them in direct conflict. Circling around this central duo are the Lawrence of the title (Tom Conti), a cultured British POW who had lived in Japan for many years; and Sgt. Hara (Takeshi Kitano), a guard whose brutishness belies a curious kind of compassion. "One of the few Oshima works to wear its heart so clearly on its sleeve … no moment can rival the final episode of Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence for sheer melodramatic impact and merciless courting of audience tears" (Chuck Stephens). Former music critic and TIFF Editor-in-Chief Kieran Grant reflects on the parallel cinematic paths of music superstars David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto, and their momentous pairing in Nagisa Oshima’s gripping WWII drama. Guest: Kieran Grant Kieran Grant joined TIFF in 2011 and currently oversees the organization's print and online output as Editor-in-Chief in its Brand & Media division. He was previously film editor for the Toronto alt-weekly Eye (R.I.P.), and wrote about music for the better (and worse) part of two decades. He is a founding member of pseudo-legendary, semi-dormant post-punk band The Two Koreas. He once had a telephone conversation with David Bowie.