Dr. Akagi
(Kanzo Sensei)
1998
Directed by Shohei Imamura

Shohei Imamura again demonstrates his masterful, audacious talent in this feature that is bursting with vitality and humor. In the summer of 1945, a local physician becomes obsessed with trying to stem an epidemic in his seaside village, with the help of an eccentric group of collaborators. With the devastation of the atomic bomb looming, Imamura creates an oddly upbeat portrait of the absurdity of daily life. "A sprawling, earthy, eccentric black comedy" (J. Hoberman, Village Voice). Japanese with English subtitles, Letterboxed.  128 minutes.