In Nobuhiko Obayashi’s April Fish (1986), Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Yukihiko Takahashi plays a once-promising filmmaker who is reduced to making television commercials. When a Polynesian chief (Tetsuro Tamba), whom he befriended in a previous shoot , announces his visit, the Francophile protagonist has more than a dinner menu to worry about. Customary to the chief’s culture, as the host, he must offer his wife to spend a night with his guest. To avoid this awkward situation, he finds a stand-in for his movie star wife (Miyoko Akaza), who happens to be the sprightly cashier (Kyo Kanoko) at his local supermarket.

Obayashi’s comedy of manners is the perfect vehicle to showcase the charismatic Takahashi’s screen presence with fresh threads designed by the Renaissance man himself. Takahashi’s pop-infused score for April Fish is fittingly playful while nodding to classic film soundtracks. April Fish is one of very few feature films with a score by the pop legend.

The screening on 3 August will be followed by a talk by musician Room307 and Francisco Lo, M+ Assistant Curator of Moving Image. This talk will be held in Cantonese.

Nobuhiko Obayashi (1938–2020) began making experimental short films during his university days. He brought his bold visual style to the commercial world with memorable TV advertisements he made with movie stars such as Charles Bronson. His feature film debut House (1977) was a hit in Japan at the time of its release and later became a cult classic in the West. Known for his female-centric coming-of-age films, Obayashi also had a penchant for filming in his hometown Onomichi and its nearby region. He completed his final film Labyrinth of Cinema (2019) before his death in 2020.