Labyrinth of Cinema
Labyrinth of Cinema is a 2019 Japanese anti-war fantasy drama film written, produced, directed and edited by Nobuhiko Obayashi. It stars, and Yoshihiko Hosoda as three present-day Onomichi moviegoers who find themselves transported back to 1945, just prior to the Atomic [bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|atomic bombing of Hiroshima]. The cast also includes Rei Yoshida, Riko Narumi, Hirona Yamazaki and Takako Tokiwa.
Labyrinth of Cinema premiered at the 2019 Tokyo International Film Festival. It is Obayashi's final film before his death in 2020, as well as Yukihiro Takahashi and Hiroshi Inuzuka's last film roles before their deaths in 2023.
Plot
On the eve of closing down for the last time, a local cinema is hosting an all-night movie marathon, showing classic Japanese war films. Three men, Mario Baba, Shigeru and Hosuke have all come to the cinema, albeit for different reasons, to watch the film. A fourth individual, a young schoolgirl named Noriko, is also there to learn about cinema and the history of war. The action starts in earnest when the 13 year old Noriko falls into the Setouchi Kinema movie screen and becomes a part of the film's narrative. The three protagonists also jump into the screen, and find themselves a part of the fabric of the films they were there to watch, as they try to save people from the horrors of war.The film is largely composed of several interlinked eras in Japanese military history, beginning with the Boshin War of 1868, moving into the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, and into the second World War, with a particular insight into the impact of the war on Okinawa, and later the impact of the Atomic Bomb drop on Hiroshima. The protagonists find themselves in various scenarios within each war.
Cast
;Main- Takuro Atsuki as Mario
- Yoshihiko Hosoda as Shigeru
- Takahito Hosoyamada as Hosuke
- Rei Yoshida as Noriko
- Riko Narumi as Kazumi Saitō
- Hirona Yamazaki as Kazuko Yoshiyama
- Takako Tokiwa as Yuriko Tachibana