United Red Army

Jitsuroku Rengo Sekigun: Asama sanso e no michi

United Red Army by Kōji Wakamatsu delves deeply into a turbulent period for Japanese society, reconstructing a series of dramatic true events that took place in the 1960s and the 1970s. Divided into three chapters, the film traces the journey of the titular student fringe group, from the idealistic militancy and the military-type training, all the way to the moral downfall and the bloodstained inner settling of differences, up to the final act of a predetermined tragedy that unravels like a self-fulfilled prophecy. Intertwining archival footage, voice-over commentary and fiction, Wakamatsu outlines a story of decay and demystification, where the most horrendous monsters lie beneath the purest of intentions, exposing the emotional numbness and widespread despair of a society on the edge of collapse.
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Kōji Wakamatsu
Script: Kōji Wakamatsu, Masayuki Kakegawa, Asako Otomo
Cinematography: Tomohiko Tsuji, Yoshihisa Toda
Editing: Kōji Wakamatsu
Sound: Yukio Kubota
Music: Jim O’ Rourke
Actors: Akie Namiki, Go Jibiki, Arata
Production: Wakamatsu Production
Producers: Kōji Wakamatsu, Noriko Ozaki, Asako Otomo
Production Design: Gen Ito
Narration: Yoshio Harada
Format: DCP
Color: Color, B/W
Production Country: Japan
Production Year: 2007
Duration: 190'
Contact: Wakamatsu Production
Awards/Distinctions: C.I.C.A.E. Award, Netpac Award – Berlin IFF 2008, Japanese Eyes: Best Film – Tokyo IFF 2007, Best Director, Best Cinematography – Mainichi Film Concours 2009

Kōji Wakamatsu

Kōji Wakamatsu was born in 1936 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. He directed his first film in 1963. In 1965, a German distributor who happened to be in Japan appreciated his film Secrets Behind the Wall and recommended it to the Berlin IFF. The Federation of Japanese Film Producers felt that it was a national disgrace for Japanese cinema to be represented by a “pink eiga” – an erotic film– and so they boycotted the film festival. In 1965, Wakamatsu founded his own production company and has directed more than one hundred films throughout his career.

Filmography

1965 Secrets behind the Wall
1966 The Embryo Hunts in Secret
1968 Violated Angels
1969 Go, Go Second Time Virgin
1970 Shinjuku Mad
1970 Sex Jack
1972 Ecstasy of the Angels
1977 Torture Chronicles Continues: 100 Years
1982 A Pool Without Water
1989 It's Easier Than Kissing
1993 Singapore Sling
1997 End of Our Own Reality
2004 Perfect Education 6
2007 United Red Army
2012 The Millennial Rapture