Issue:
. . . at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 21 for an unusual look at the phenomenon of professional wrestling — puroresu on these shores — with this sneak peek of DDT: We Are Japanese Wrestlers. The screening will be preceded by a live PowerPoint presentation (you read that right) by DDT star Super Sasadango Machine, custom-created for his FCCJ appearance. From its beginnings with the great Rikidozan and now generating over $100 million a year, pro wrestling is very serious business indeed. But thanks to the Dramatic Dream Team (DDT), it is also sometimes very silly business, with matches that strike a perfect balance of the hair-raising and the hilarious. The team’s
astounding athleticism, creative costuming and dazzling choreography have made it one of the top names in indie wrestling, with ardent fans spanning the globe. Co-directed by wrestler Muscle Sakai and acclaimed documentarian Tetsuaki Matsue (Live Tape, Flashback Memories 3D), both of whom will be on hand for the Q&A afterward, the film is a fittingly scruffy tribute to DDT’s tough boys with soft underbellies, as they approach their 20th anniversary. (Japan, 2016; 74 minutes; Japanese with English subtitles.)
– Karen Severns
