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Diary of a Shinjuku Thief
Diary of a Shinjuku Thief
7.1
/10
447 Ratings

DIARY OF A SHINJUKU THIEF

Shinjuku dorobô nikki

Directed by Nagisa Ôshima
Japan, 1969
Drama, Comedy

Synopsis

Birdey takes the first step on the road to ruin when he steals an inconsequential item from a bookstore. Caught in the act by the salesgirl, the shoplifter is led through various adventures in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district and becomes the girl’s sexual partner and virtual slave.

Synopsis

Birdey takes the first step on the road to ruin when he steals an inconsequential item from a bookstore. Caught in the act by the salesgirl, the shoplifter is led through various adventures in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district and becomes the girl’s sexual partner and virtual slave.

Our take

Electrifying the Quinzaine, capturing the spirit of ’68 in a confrontational style, Diary of a Shinjuku Thief marries the experimental sex comedy with an insurgent ideological allegory. Filmmaking at its most liberated, and perhaps bad boy provocateur Nagisa Ôshima at his most transgressive.