Part of our Lives of Artists Film Talk Series!

Join Jeffrey Bender as we venture into the inner worlds of filmmakers, writers, musicians, dancers and painters in this six-film survey all about artists and their craft.

Top 50 entry on the Letterboxd Top 250 Narrative Feature Films list.

Paul Schrader’s visually stunning, collagelike portrait of the acclaimed Japanese author and playwright Yukio Mishima (Ken Ogata) investigates the inner turmoil and contradictions of a man who attempted the impossible task of finding harmony among self, art, and society. Taking place on the last day of Mishima’s life, when he famously committed public seppuku, the film is punctuated by extended flashbacks to the writer’s past as well as gloriously stylized evocations of his fictional works. With its rich cinematography by John Bailey, exquisite sets and costumes by Eiko Ishioka, and unforgettable, highly influential score by Philip Glass, Mishima is a tribute to its subject and a bold, investigative work of art in its own right.

Presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

Jeffrey Bender

Jeffrey Bender has hosted a number of in-person and online Film Talks with the Westdale, most recently a three-film 'select-rospective' on the films of Wes Anderson and Memory Lane, a series of road-trip films from 1973. He joins us this fall to host the Lives of Artists, a selection of films about artistic talent and the creative process, as well as serving as one of the guest speakers for Noir-vember, featuring a survey of classic and contemporary film noir.