A family of four lives off of scams in which they pretend to be injured by automobiles.
Acting
Tetsuo Abe's blank-faced devastation is unforgettable.
Direction
Ōshima's cold observation without judgment.
Editing
Sharp cuts between performance and private collapse.
Director
Nagisa Ōshima
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ōshima made this during Japan's economic boom, explicitly critiquing how prosperity required leaving people behind. The 'killed by car' scam was a genuine post-war phenomenon.
Tetsuo Abe was a non-professional discovered in a juvenile detention center; Ōshima cast him specifically for his detached, unreadable quality. He never acted again.
JP
