P. P. Rider

Wednesday, September 6 - Wednesday, September 20, 2023

With special recorded intro by actor Masatoshi Nagase

An exuberant farce tinted with deep shades of melancholy and real violence; P.P. RIDER is an ode to the dreams of youth against authority. The film centers on three teens on a burlesque road odyssey to rescue their kidnapped class bully from a gang of yakuza. En route they run afoul of some cops, befriend a motley former gangster, and experience the first seismic shocks of growing up. More immediately, the youngsters climb on things and jostle and fall down and sing and take up space, carried along less by the search for their classmate than by the sheer momentum of being young and alive. Director Shinji Somai constantly invents astonishing new ways to capture their movements, including a mythic opening shot, which—according to legend—required the use of three cranes. Adapted from a scenario by Leonard Schrader—with assistance from Howard Hawks—it’s a film of unparalleled freedom, and a testament to Somai’s ability to inject his work with the potent marrow of life.

• Country Japan
• Language Japanese with English Subtitles
• Year 1983
• Running Time 118 minutes
• Format DCP
• Distributor Cinema Guild
• Director Shinji Sômai
• Cast Tatsuya Fuji, Michiko Kawai, Masatoshi Nagase
• Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.