The Many Faces of Chika

Set against the backdrop of Japan’s cultural and political upheaval throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, The Many Faces of Chika is an unconventional and evocative drama that charts the life of an enigmatic woman through her relationships. Sensuous and dreamlike, the film presents the single character of Chika through four different actresses (Takami Yoshimoto, Makiko Watanabe, Kumija Kim, Kaori Momoi)—an experimental narrative device that suggests the various ways she is perceived by those who loved her as well as Chika’s changing inner life. Scripted/produced by Sachiko Kobayashi and directed by Kazuo Hara, The Faces of Chika is the documentarian duo’s first and only foray into narrative feature filmmaking and an often overlooked yet no less essential work within their oeuvre.

Streaming in the U.S. from June 4-July 2 as part of Cinema as Struggle: The Films of Kazuo Hara & Sachiko Kobayashi | Also available in the U.S. as a part of our discounted 3-Film Bundle 2 for $20