Grass Labyrinth

1979 0h 42m JA

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 35

DramaFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Akira is haunted by a "bouncing ball" song that he remembers his mother singing when he was a small child, and now on the verge of a sexually active adulthood, he wants to find the origins of the song. The young man ostensibly wanders into a time-warp in which aspects from his childhood and adulthood mix together. In this never-never land he comes across a beautiful woman/witch who is lost inside the labyrinth of her mansion, just as the young man is lost in the labyrinth of time — and on some levels, perhaps the labyrinth of his subconscious.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Hiroshi Mikami
Young Akira
Takeshi Wakamatsu
Akira
Keiko Niitaka
Mother
Jūzō Itami
Principal / Priest / Old man
Miho Fukuya
Girl
Ryoko Kinoyama
Akiko Suetsugu
Yoko Ran

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shūji Terayama
Writers: Rio Kishida, Shūji Terayama, Izumi Kyōka
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 42-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

47 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Shūji Terayama, shot by Tatsuo Suzuki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by J.A. Seazer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tomoyo Oshima shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Hiroshi Mikami and Takeshi Wakamatsu and Keiko Niitaka carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0229520 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shūji Terayama directs. Tatsuo Suzuki behind the camera. J.A. Seazer scores. Tomoyo Oshima cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 42-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
247 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Shūji Terayama, shot by Tatsuo Suzuki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by J.A. Seazer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Tomoyo Oshima shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Hiroshi Mikami and Takeshi Wakamatsu and Keiko Niitaka carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0229520 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 35 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.