Takachi, a young gay porn star from a small town in Japan, is found dead in Tokyo. At his wake, two of his friends, Reiko and Shinpei, recollect their time together, attempting to piece together fragments of Takachi’s life. What emerges is a sometimes contradictory portrait of a desperately lonely man who longs for love and kindness: but can his life ever really be understood by others?

Akihiro Suzuki’s impressive debut feature challenges assumptions around sexuality, presenting characters who are androgynous or whose sexual preferences are ambiguous, rejecting the idea that desire is something fixed or unchanging. Filmed in a lo-fi, indie style, Looking for an Angel is a quintessential example of Japan’s dynamic queer cinema scene, interweaving past and present, memories and stories, as it offers an impressionistic account of the elusive Takachi’s existence.

Screening as part of Queer East.

Director Akihiro Suzuki
Year 1999
Duration 1h
Language Japanese with English subtitles
Cast Koichi Imaizumi, Akira Suehiro, Hotaru Hazuki