Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
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Synopsis
A fictionalized account in four chapters of the life of celebrated Japanese writer Yukio Mishima.
Cast
- Ken Ogata
- Kenji Sawada
- Toshiyuki Nagashima
Letterboxd User Reviews
4.4
152.0K
87.9K
64.9K
- May 21, 2018
Killing yourself to own the libs.
Jake ColeAug 27, 2013"A man's desire to become beautiful is also a desire for death." Harmonizes actual events of Mishima's life, his nationalism, his persona as an artist, his fiction, and his own self-image, ultimately fully empathizing with his will to power and violent transcendence.
matt lynchJul 10, 2016The Harmony of the Pen and the Sword, or "turn your life into a line of poetry written with a splash of blood." At first glance, a biopic about a celebrated and controversial Japanese author might not seem like an obvious move for Paul Schrader but I think once you realize…
Josh Lewis - Nov 14, 2018
Since moving to Japan, I've discovered that Yukio Mishima is still, to this day, a sore subject. In casual conversation about Japanese authors or in the classroom, the moment I mention Mishima an uncomfortable silence settles over the room. I've learnt not to mention my…
Dave JacksonApr 5, 2021i want to be brutally murdered while this film’s score plays in the background
ToniMay 9, 2026This is an unbelievably good-looking movie. I think it might be the best looking movie I've ever seen, and it has an incredible score as well. I'm not too familiar with Mishima's work but I feel like the decision to structure the film around a few of his stories did a good…
Northernlion - Oct 2, 2025
MISHMA: JAPANESE PREMIERE. Forty years after it's premiere at Cannes, "Mishima" will be shown publicly for the first time in Japan at the 2025 Tokyo Film Festial. I knew this day would come. I didn't know if I'd be alive to see it.
Paul SchraderSep 4, 2017"Creating something beautiful and becoming beautiful oneself are indistinguishable." "I come out on the stage determined to make people weep. Instead, they burst out laughing." "...I don't think they even heard me."
Eli HayesJan 22, 2022google dot com has philip glass ever played coachella
fran hoepfner
Queue Community Reviews
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Top Reviews
- Kareem is "meh" onMishima: A Life in Four Chapters
I didn’t really care for this. I found it confusing, dragged in some places, was messily written, the 4 chapters were poorly connected, felt emotionally flat, and I didn’t really know what was going on half of the time. The score, set design, visuals, and themes were probably-
Adiee likedMishima: A Life in Four ChaptersThe cinematography and score alone is a 10/10 Some of the stories get v strange (ch.2 specifically lol) but still a really beautiful movie. I was bored during certain bits, but would def watch again just for the composition. Worth a watch even if ur not an artsy movie person.
WWE President of Personality likedMishima: A Life in Four ChaptersThis is a beautiful movie, a visual poem. I loved the picture and cinematography, the color and the lack of it, representing reality vs fiction, the music, and the way the story was narrated. I did struggle to connect a bit with the story, but visually it is stunning.
- nevan lovedMishima: A Life in Four Chapters
wonderfully structured and beautifully composed, a film like no other; paul schrader’s masterpiece uses a brilliant script and unique chapter sequence to tell an intimate and powerful story. all themes are handled delicately and with purpose; serene and moving
anton chigurh likedMishima: A Life in Four ChaptersBeautiful film with exceptional cinematography. A unique movie experience with a vivid depiction of Japanese culture. A breathtaking ending and culmination of events. One of the absolute greatest scores of all time - the composition is almost palpable.
miquela lovedMishima: A Life in Four ChaptersThis is exactly what you would call a masterpiece. The screenplay is simply astonishing and the constant search for a balance among art/words/beauty/actions is sublime. Wow. The movie about a lifetime.
- Arthur Beaugeard lovedMishima: A Life in Four Chapters
A masterwork which confronts and critiques toxic masculinity without mocking or pitying it. Artistically surprising and unpredictable.
Justin lovedMishima: A Life in Four ChaptersInsane film, please watch this immediately
taylor likedMishima: A Life in Four Chapterssoundtrack was banger
Atom Users Reviews
Metacritic
The most unconventional biopic I've ever seen, and one of the best.
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
An ambitious, respectful account of the life and work of Yukio Mishima, the prolific Japanese author who made a romantic cult of Japan's lost world of martial glory and spartan warrior-manhood.
Peter Bradshaw
The Guardian
Here is an American film, in Japanese with English subtitles, written, directed and photographed by Americans, made in Japan with a Japanese cast, which attempts to reveal the spiritual mysteries of a quintessentially Japanese phenomenon. That it doesn't succeed is almost a foregone conclusion. What is surprising, however, is that Mishima is as tolerable as it is, given all the strikes against it.
Vincent Canby
The New York Times
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)?
The movie is 2hr long.
What's Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) about?
A fictionalized account in four chapters of the life of celebrated Japanese writer Yukio Mishima.
Who's the cast of Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)?
- Ken Ogata as Yukio Mishima
- Kenji Sawada as Osamu
- Toshiyuki Nagashima as Isao
Who's the director behind Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)?
Paul Schrader directed Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985).
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