Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)

Original title

薔薇の葬列

Directed by

Toshio Matsumoto

Genre

drama film, LGBTQ-related film

Country

Japan

Runtime

1h 45m

Rated

K-16

Rating

7.5 of 10 from 239 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young transgender woman who works at a gay bar in Tokyo gets into a sexual relationship with the bar owner. The film mixes documentary-style scenes with surreal touches and retells the story of Oedipus Rex from a new angle.

experimentalstylishdisorientingdefiantmelancholicfragmentedrawprovocativedreamlike

What happens

Funeral Parade of Roses (薔薇の葬列, Bara no Sōretsu) is a 1969 Japanese experimental film written and directed by Toshio Matsumoto. It is a loose adaptation of the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, set in the underground gay culture of 1960s Tokyo. Considered part of the Angura film movement, it combines elements of arthouse, documentary, and experimental filmmaking. The film centers 'gay-boy' Eddie, a young transgender woman working at a gay bar in Tokyo played by well-known Japanese gay entertainer Peter. The plot follows Eddie as she engages in a sexual relationship with the bar's owner, who promotes her as the lead girl of the establishment. According to Matsumoto, Funeral Parade of Roses is "in a way a film about filmmaking" and "a film about boundaries". Funeral Parade of Roses originates from the Japanese New Wave film movement, and is considered a monumental work of queer cinema. The film was released by ATG (Art Theatre Guild) on 13 September 1969 in Japan, but it did not receive a United States release until 29 October 1970. In June 2017, it received a 4K restoration and a limited theatrical re-release. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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