Nonsensical Life

One summer day, a university student, Yazawa, is offered a lucrative job that pays 50,000 yen for two hours. All he had to do was go to a poet's house and listen to his poems. On the day of the job, the poet, Kihara, reads out a strange poem that starts with "The world is one" and ends with "Because we are 10 years old". Yazawa did as Kihara asked, reciting the poem and answering his questions. Yazawa reads the poem at Kihara's request and asks him a question: "Please give me a title. Kihara's ability to take something that would normally be "boring" and turn it into a surrealistic laugh is brilliant.

Directed by Masahito Kagawa, Nonsensical Life leans on a strong ensemble — Masahiko Nakawa, Noriko Kikuchi, Kihara Minoru — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1991.