SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW SCREENING followed by a Q&A session with the film’s director, Koji Wakamatsu, and two stars, Shinobu Terajima and Shima Ohnishi

Japan, 2010. 85 minutes

Directed by Koji Wakamatsu
Written by Hisako Kurosawa and Deru Deguchi
Produced by Koji Wakamatsu and Noriko Ozaki
Starring Shinobu Terajima, Shima Ohnishi

Film courtesy of Wakamatsu Production, Inc.

Warning: Strong sexual content

In Japanese with English subtitles

The Movie Committee is honored to welcome back provocative auteur Koji Wakamatsu (United Red Army), fresh off his new film’s premiere in competition at the 60th International Film Festival of Berlin. Caterpillar took home the Best Actress Award for star Shinobu Terajima, who will join Wakamatsu and her costar, Shima Ohnishi, for this very special preview screening.

Calling it “a direct and powerful correlation between war and sexual politics,” the Hollywood Reporter had this to say about the film’s achievement: “There's nothing oblique or nuanced in Berlinale competition selection Caterpillar, Koji Wakamatsu's indictment of right-wing militarist-nationalism and the partner-piece to his relentless expose on left-wing extremism, United Red Army. As consciously strident in tone as the various forms of WWII Japanese war propaganda he deploys satirically, his conviction is so strong, and his argument so persuasive, that this masterpiece has the blunt force of a tank rolling over naked flesh.”

Caterpillar highlights the hypocrisy of patriotic duty and the impact of war on civilians, by focusing on Shigeko (Terajima), the wife of a decorated soldier, Lt. Kyuzo Kurokawa (Ohnishi), who returns home from the Sino-Japanese war in 1940 without his arms and legs. His relatives think he’s a burden, and his care falls completely to his wife, who soon tires of his insatiable sexual demands and punishes him by parading him around the village in his uniform. Shigeko must fulfill her duty to honor the Emperor and her country by taking care of the “god-soldier,” but the public charade, and the sado-masochistic relationship with her husband, exact a heavy toll.

Caterpillar is not scheduled to open in Japan until August, so this is an unprecedented opportunity for FCCJ members to experience what one of the year’s most controversial films.

Director Koji Wakamatsu is a former yakuza, convict and pink film director who came to prominence with his 1965 Golden Bear-nominated film Secrets Behind the Wall. Using his camera as an active political weapon to expose hypocrisy wherever he finds it, Wakamatsu has continued to shoot films with virulent anarchist manifestos, enraging Japanese authorities and getting him banned from American, Russian and Chinese territories. In 1971, he gained international notoriety at the Cannes Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight with Violated Angels (1967) and Sex Jack (1970). Five years later he joined Nagisa Oshima’s In the Realm of Senses upon the latter’s request as the executive producer. His last film, United Red Army, was selected for the 2008 Berlin Film Festival Forum and was critically acclaimed worldwide.

Winner of countless domestic awards, including the Japan Academy Award for her role in Akame 48 Waterfalls (2003) and the Best Actress Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival for Vibrator (2003), Shinobu Terajima is one of Japan’s most popular actors. Other career highlights include Quill (2004), Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005), Tokyo Tower (2005) and Lush Life (2009).

Shima Ohnishi made his debut with Akame 48 Waterfalls (2003), in which he appeared with Shinobu Terajima. He also appeared in Koji Wakamatsu’s 2007 United Red Army, and in Running on Empty (2009).

A picnic dinner is available at a cost of 1,365 yen (including beverage, popcorn and tax) for those who wish to eat right before the film begins. Please choose between Picnic A Sandwich (Smoked Salmon, Avocado, Dill Cream Cheese, Cress, Pickles & Capers on Bagel) or Picnic B Sandwich (Tomato, Roasted Red Onion, Peppers, Olive Tapenade, Feta, Basil & Rocket Wrap). To help us plan proper seating and food preparation, please reserve by noon on the day of the screening at the FCCJ Reception Desk (3211-3161).

Please pick up your ticket at the front desk from 6:30 p.m. before collecting your picnic and beverage choice at the lobby bar. Cancellations received after noon on the day of the screening will be charged in full.

Karen Severns, Edwin Karmiol. Movie Committee.