Akira

Find all the Husets Biograf events also on our website: https://huset-kbh.dk/?taxonomyId=274 and this film at https://huset-kbh.dk/event/akira/

18:00 = Café opens / CASH or MOBILE PAY only! / Open seating / Tickets are 60 kr. and can be bought at the link above. OBS! When you arrive check-in at the café counter and give your name (if possible it’s always a good idea to bring your print-out confirmation too) and you will be given a seating pass

19:00 = Akira, 1988, Japan, dir: Katsuhiro Ôtomo, 124 min / Neo-Tokyo- In the year 2019, thirty-one years have passed since the outbreak of World War III. In Neo-Tokyo, all authority is waging a never-ending struggle against the underground that virtually rules the shattered city. A top-secret child with amazing powers of the minds breaks free from custody and accidentally gets a motorcycle gang involved in the project. The incident triggers psychic powers within one of the members, Tetsuo,and he is taken by the army and experimented on. His mind has been warped and is now on the path of war, exacting revenge on the society that once called him weak. Newly released version with Japanese dialogue and English subtitles.

Akira is an astonishingly influential film, easily as much so as cinema’s touchstones Citizen Kane and Pulp Fiction. Its impact is made more difficult to judge, though, given that it was made more than 31 years ago, and didn’t make an initial impact outside of Japan. Japanese animation now has a firm presence in our media, and so many paths lead back to the cultural genesis of Akira.

So, what is Akira? It’s a Japanese animated film, an adaptation of 2,000 pages worth of graphic novel by Katsuhiro Otomo and set in the futuristic world of Neo-Tokyo. Rebuilt from the ashes of World War 3, it’s a technological dream of neon, computers and soaring science, mated to the social nightmare of corrupt politicians, a rampant military and an oppressed working class. Add to this the rise of a powerful breed of psychics (or ‘psionics’) capable of various degrees of telepathy and telekinesis, and somehow linked to a top secret military project known as Akira, and Neo-Tokyo seems ready to explode.

Yes, this was an almost impossible project to attempt and yet Katsuhiro does gives us glimpses of the depth of the graphic novel’s size and complexity. Confusing? Possibly, but the film immerses us in the world of Neo-Tokyo with stunning imagery, amazing camera angles, tracking shots and haunting soundtrack so all that may be forgiven. A landmark film that established this genre of films in the west, please remember this is NOT CGI animation, Akira used over 160,000 animation cells to create the detailed scenes and fluid movement in the film.

This animation style, and more importantly imagination, allows impossibly kinetic and ‘free’ camera movement. The style rams home every car crash, explosion and death-defying stunt. Also, Akira forces the viewers to face reality by depicting a hyper realistic, post-war dystopia that hit too close to home for some. The film doesn’t hold the audience’s hand. Nearly every character we meet, from Kaneda to Kei to Tetsuo, is damaged in some way. But they’ve got no time to deal with their trauma. In fact, most of the film we watch them struggle to react and adjust to situations beyond their control.
But no matter how Tetsuo’s powers escalate or how much he is wanted by the police & the military, Kaneda just wants his old friend back, and it is this hope of redemption which gives the film its emotional backbone.