“Tezuka’s Barbara” Theatrical Poster
Director Macoto Tezka (Black Kiss), son of the late Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astro Boy/Mighty Atom, often dubbed “The Godfather of Manga”) is currently preparing the release of Tezuka’s Barbara, a Live-action film adaptation of his father’s sexually-charged manga, Barbara.
Tezuka’s Barbara stars Fumi Nikaido (The World of Kanako), Goro Inagaki (13 Assassins), Shizuka Ishibashi (Parks), Kiyohiko Shibukawa (Blue Spring), Eri Watanabe (Ichi) and Ryousuke Ohtani (Departures).
Hong Kong film afficiendos will welcome the inclusion Christopher Doyle, who handles the film’s cinematography. Doyle is best-known for his award-winning camera work with frequent collaborator Wong Kar-wai in films such as Chungking Express and Happy Together.
Here’s what you can expect from Tezuka’s Barbara’s plot (via Amazon): Wandering the packed tunnels of Shinjuku Station, famous author Yosuke Mikura makes a strange discovery: a seemingly homeless drunk woman who can quote French poetry. Her name is Barbara. He takes her home for a bath and a drink, and before long Barbara has made herself into Mikura’s shadow, saving him from egotistical delusions and jealous enemies. But just as Mikura is no saint, Barbara is no benevolent guardian angel, and Mikura grows obsessed with discovering her secrets, tangling with thugs, sadists, magical curses and mythical beings – all the while wondering whether he himself is still sane.
Look out for Tezuka’s Barbara in 2019. Until then, here’s the film’s Trailer from U.K. film distributor Third Window Films (via Ningen31/ANN).
