The Samurai and the Prisoner

Co-presented by the Japan Society of Northern California “Kurosawa has made one of his best films, a work that feels a bit like Agatha Christie, a bit like Shakespeare, and even a bit like Samurai Columbo.” —RogerEbert.com Celebrated Japanese horror director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Serpent’s Path) explores a new path in this lush treatment of Honobu Yonezawa’s prizewinning historical novel, detailing palace intrigue in the court of a samurai nobleman during the Azuchi era at the end of the 16th century. Turning against Oda Nobunaga, the ruthless, power-hungry warlord he previously served, Araki Murashige (Masahiro Motoki, of Departures) is besieged by Oda’s forces and bedevilled by a series of inexplicable crimes in his household. As tension rises and loyalties fray, Murashige is forced to strategize with Kuroda Kanbei (Masaki Suda, of Kurosawa’s 2024 thriller Cloud), a samurai envoy sent by Oda and imprisoned by Murashige, while his wife Chiyoho (Yuriko Yoshitaka) and loyalists fight to preserve order. Note films start right at the listed showtime. Free or discounted for members. All ticket sales are final.