The Face of Another

A bit abstract and high-concept, sometimes to its detriment, but nonetheless a very engaging and interesting examination of identity. There seems to be a strong theatrical influence here, especially in scenes where the characters are isolated with bright lights against dark backdrops. The technique on display is very effective. There's a subplot that mirrors the main strand in a number of ways, but feels a bit shoehorned in, and isn't particularly effective. Still, ambitious and impressive.

masterfully and poetically crafted meditation on identity and the ways we are shaped by the world around us as well as the ways our self-hatred and refusal to accept ourselves keep us isolated, lonely, divorced from intimacy

Very inventive exploration of identity and masks that seems to have an allegorical aspect to do with postwar Japanese history, but the most interesting, indeed prescient, theme is perhaps that of shame and shamelessness in a world where the possibility of taking on new personas increases both freedom and disconnection. It is truly remarkable that it was released in the same year as Frankenheimer's SECONDS: the similarities even extend to the idea of a conversation with the ocean. Not SF.

Fresh and dynamic exploration of faces, masks, and identity. The camerawork and editing are striking and imaginative (a little unrestrained, but not terribly ostentatious) and the premise is wonderfully provocative.

This is a powerful movie about the importance we place on faces as the source of our identity. The stellar acting, the intelligent dialogue, the more than competent cinematography, the immersive camerawork, and the subtle, industrial soundtrack all contribute to the excellence of the film, but it's the premise that makes it a winner. Does our face reflect our personality, or does our personality reflect our face? When our face changes, does our personality change with it?

I found the film a bit heavy-handed, it could've been trimmed down. And did the protagonist have to be such a self-pitying asshole? Still, the premise and the visuals are fascinating, and Takemitsu delivers a predictably great score.

Utterly outstanding and thought-provoking. Explores the splintering of identity to great depths, aided by numerous shots through windows, frames, mirrors and other distortions. The photography, especially the artful sense of composition, is stunning. The music and surreal flourishes create an unsettling mood. Normally, I might think of the secondary plotline as a distraction, but I actually thought it fit in quite well. The way it pops in and out the narrative was like a movie-within-a-movie.

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Under Quarantine Film Reviews #43: Visually stunning as it is intellectually challenging, Teshigahara crafts an incredible work of existential sci-fi. Kobo Abe is a masterful writer, with his script/novel exploring the limits and freedom of acquiring a new personality and questioning what it means to be an individual.

some very cool imagery and framing (the doctor's office in particular was badass), but like other "new wave" films, things become so symbolic and stylized that it ultimately becomes emotionally stiff/flat/sterile. also the part with the brother/sister seemed shoehorned in.

Rattling and disorienting in its visual storytelling through unique composition and imagery, and complimented by an equally so musical score, 'The Face of Another' explores the topic of identity and societal influence on the self in a more engrossing and stimulating way than most other films of the like could ever dream of (even if the pace may be off-putting.)

Very low budget movie of mostly talking heads, talking in circles and not saying much of anything interesting. I was not amused and did not enjoy it.

Resisting the (not inconsiderable) temptation to make Face/Off comparisons, I'll give this film massive, throbbing props for Teshigarahas uniquely disturbed vision and another fantastic performance by Nakadai, a man more than capable of eating a peach for hours. ...fuck.

"We all wear masks... metaphorically speaking." - Dr. Arthur Neuman

A very abstract pondering of identity, examining both the social and personal crises that come along with it. Sometimes it's tedious and simply weird, but usually the said abstractions make this all the more effective. The technique on display here is as jarring and fractured as the protagonist's own outlook, full of quick cuts, sharp angles, and freeze frames. Teshigahara gives us a surreal, almost haunting depiction of splintered perspective.

An interesting examination of identity. A man who's left with a disfigured face uses a mask to reclaim his life, but finds himself starting a new one instead. Not only is there an interesting story, but the examination of the reasons for the lead character taking on a new face are quite thought provoking. In the hands of another director this could have become a fun but silly scifi movie, but Teshigahara manages to keep the focus on the characters and lets us focus on the personal transformation

Identity, anonymity, the breaking down of marality, what's not to love?

Brilliant. Filled to the brim with poetic dialogue on the nature of identity and coursing with subtext exploring everything from gender roles to the atomic bombs dropped on Japan; at least, that's my initial read on it. One of the best-looking films of the 1960s, which I also said about Woman in the Dunes from the same director, Hiroshi Teshigahara. Stunning, dreamy imagery that transforms normal locations into surreal landscapes at whim. Masterful.

I'll be honest, while I dearly love Hiroshi Teshigahara's previous collaboration with Kôbô Abe "Woman in the Dunes", so I wanted to love this one, I found it to be a fairly alienating and distancing experience. That's not to say I disliked it. I really loved the visual scheme and frequently was intrigued by it's pattern of doubling scenes, it often felt like a series of oddly disconnected pieces.

Went over my head

Undeservingly underrated.

I get it, I appreciate it, and I understand why someone would like it, but I don't.

Un crack Teshigahara

Would be a fun double bill with Seconds. There's a shot of light coming thru the body that Eggers had to have seen before making the end scenes in The Lighthouse

Horrors of self pity.

A philosophical musing on identity, as a man with a new face appears to take on a new personality. There are times when you think you're watching a documentary, and other times when you may be in a surrealistic dream (helped by the odd but neat choices in music). It's a powerful movie, but the main character -- the incomparable Tatsuya Nakadai -- is so self-loathing that he's hard to empathize with here.

A really unusual science fiction movie that gets more abstract as it goes with strange imagery cropping up in the background more and more as it goes on. The film also has a secondary story going on that has symbolic ties to the first.

Was he forgetting his voice, his height, his behaviour, his mannerisms, and everything else except his face?

Maratona em honra de Machiko Kyō (1924 — 2019) filme #5. Teshigahara. Não lembro se li o livro de Abe primeiro ou vi o filme, só lembro o quanto ele era fiel ao livro, inclusive em termos de linguagem, hoje revendo-o gosto ainda mais do filme. DVD Obras-primas do Cinema.

A study on what "personal identity" is.

On how the quest for the perfect human leads and has lead to dehumanization. Harps on and further analyses ideas explored by, for example, Antonioni (https://www.criticker.com/film/La-Notte/?viewr=dardan), as well as including a bunch of new stuff.

I think the concept has been explored more powerfully, and it was a bit hard to empathize with the main character's destructive motivations. Still, it's a well-handled exploration of a fascinating premise, buoyed by several powerful images (the sea of masks in the climactic scene comes to mind).

Not interested.

wow

dialogue was a bit obvious at times, and the secondary plot felt tacked on, but camera and sound combine very well with interesting themes regarding identity versus persona.

Entertaining and interesting throughout but not as thought-provoking or deep as it sets itself to be.

filme favorito

This movie may be better than I betrayed, but I was expecting something different when I first saw this. It turned out to be more methodical and precise rather than fast and ruthless, so I really need to rewatch this to give it a true score.

A fine looking film that tells its story well, but I can't help but feel that the message of fluidity of identity isn't one that has been expressed many times before. Not that any picture has to have a completely fresh idea, but the message is repeated often enough, and slowly enough, that it feels as if they thought it was. It's still a good picture, though.

The best sci-fi film I have ever seen, and it features music by Toru Takemitsu!