Fancy Dance

『ファンシイダンス』

Descended from a long lineage of Buddhist priests, young punk rocker Yohei (Masahiro Motoki) finds himself obligated to carry on the family name—shaving his (already half-shaven) head, bidding adieu to girlfriend Masoho (Honami Suzuki) and trading in his mod suits for monastic robes—as he reluctantly joins a Zen temple to train as a novitiate for one year. Relocating to a remote mountainside temple where the day-to-day activities include a range of ascetic practices, rites and observances, Yohei’s outward rejection of authority and mischievous ways land him in hot water with the high-ranking monks. Despite all, Yohei soon finds himself taken with the Buddhist way of life, and must face a decision on whether he should remain a monk or return to his anarchic roots. An entertaining, humorous and farcical approach to the puritanical lifestyle, Fancy Dance served as Masayuki Suo’s mainstream debut after the release of his hour-long Ozu pinku satire, Abnormal Family (1984).

Streaming in North America from December 3-23 as part of Flash Forward: Debut Works and Recent Films by Notable Japanese Directors | Rent together with Suo’s Talking the Pictures for only $15!