Directed by Carlos Reygadas • 2002 • Mexico
Starring Alejandro Ferretis, Magdalena Flores
In this preternaturally assured feature debut by Carlos Reygadas, a man (Alejandro Ferretis) travels from Mexico City to an isolated village to commit suicide; once there, however, he meets a pious elderly woman (Magdalena Flores) whose quiet humanity incites a reawakening of his desires. Recruiting a cast of nonactors and filming in sublime 16 mm CinemaScope, Reygadas explores the harsh beauty of the Mexican countryside with earthy tactility, conjuring a psychic landscape where religion mingles with sex, life coexists with death, and the animal and spiritual sides of human experience become indistinguishable. A work of soaring ambition and startling visual poetry, JAPÓN is an existential journey through uncharted cinematic territory that established the singular voice of its director.
Directed by Carlos Reygadas • 2002 • Mexico
Starring Alejandro Ferretis, Magdalena Flores
In this preternaturally assured feature debut by Carlos Reygadas, a man (Alejandro Ferretis) travels from Mexico City to an isolated village to commit suicide; once there, however, he meets a pious elderly ...
This conversation between filmmakers Carlos Reygadas and Amat Escalante was recorded for the Criterion Collection in November 2017. They discuss Japón’s origins, inspirations, and production
When Japón premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival in 2002, it featured a different ending, showing the crash that concludes the film, not just its aftermath. The scene is presented here as it appeared in that version.
Actor Alejandro Ferretis (“the man”) documented the shooting of Japón with a Hi8 camera and edited his memories into the film presented here. The material is the best available in terms of picture and sound quality.
