Pale Flower is currently streaming on The Criterion Channel

Pale Flower (1964)Crime, RomanceRating 61/100

In this cool, seductive jewel of the Japanese New Wave, a yakuza, fresh out of prison, becomes entangled with a beautiful and enigmatic gambling addict; what at first seems a redemptive relationship ends up leading him further down the criminal path. Bewitchingly shot and edited, and laced with a fever-dream-like score by Toru Takemitsu, this gangster romance was a breakthrough for the idiosyncratic Masahiro Shinoda. The pitch-black PALE FLOWER (KAWAITA HANA) is an unforgettable excursion into the underworld.

Cast: Ryō Ikebe, Mariko Kaga, Takashi Fujiki, Naoki Sugiura, Shinichirō Mikami, Isao Sasaki, Koji Nakahara

Director: Masahiro Shinoda