Special Series

Diary of a Shinjuku Thief

新宿泥棒日記

Directed by: Nagisa Ōshima
1969 / 96 minutes / Unclassified 15+ (under 15s must be accompanied by an adult)

日本語の解説は映画.comへ

“Without sexual freedom, humans will never be free...”

Diary of a Shinjuku Thief is a chaotic film that responds to the sexual revolution, radical student movements and social upheaval in Japan during the late 1960s. The ambiguous narrative centres on a man who calls himself Birdie (played by artist Tadanori Yokoo) who steals from a Kinokuniya bookstore in Shinjuku. Sparks fly when a woman named Umeko (Rie Yokoyama), seemingly an employee, catches Birdie in the act and forces him to face the consequences.

What follows is a deep dive into repressed desires, female sexual rebellion, and petty theft as the young lovers attempt to free themselves from the trappings of previous generations and paternal social constructs. Leaping between episodic moments that break down traditions of fiction and reality, the two finally reach ecstasy amidst the intersection of a youth revolt and an experimental theatre troupe.

One of cinema’s great provocateurs, Nagisa Ōshima employs a unique cinematic vocabulary, shifting abruptly from black and white to colour, and meshing naturalistic acting, theatrical intermezzos and cinéma vérité techniques.