The Museum Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) has announced the addition of three (3) acclaimed new releases from Japan to their fall film lineup. Throughout the month of December and the first week of January, MFAH will hold in-person showings of Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Wheel of Fortune & Fantasy and Drive My Car, as well as Nobuhiko Ôbayashi’s Labyrinth of Cinema.
Film admission is $9; Museum members, students with ID, and seniors (65+) receive $2 discount.
Tickets are available for purchase (i) online at mfah.org/film, (ii) in the Beck and Kinder building lobbies during business hours, or (iii) at the auditorium box office prior to show time.
The MFAH is located at the 1001 Bissonnet between Main and Montrose. Films are screened in the Lynn Wyatt Theater in the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building (5500 Main Street).
FILMS
WHEEL OF FORTUNE & FANTASY (偶然と想像)
Directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Digital, Japan, 2021, 121 min.
Japanese with English subtitles
Sunday, December 19 | 5:00 PM
Thursday, December 23 | 2:00 PM
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy offers a trilogy of stories about an unexpected love triangle, a failed seduction trap, and an encounter that results from a misunderstanding. The anthology traces the trajectories between the choices and regrets of three women.
DRIVE MY CAR (ドライブ・マイ・カー)
Directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Japan, 2021, 179 min.
Japanese with English subtitles
Sundays, December 26 & January 2 | 2:00 PM
Thursday, December 30 | 2:00 PM
This haunting road movie travels a path of love, loss, acceptance, and peace. The story centers on stage actor whose playwright wife mysteriously disappears. Based on a short story by Haruki Murakami, Drive My Car won three awards at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
LABYRINTH OF CINEMA (海辺の映画館 キネマの玉手箱)
Directed by Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
Digital, Japan, 2019, 179 min.
Japanese with English subtitles
Friday, December 31 | 1:00 PM
Saturday, January 1 | 3:00 PM
A Japanese cinema sets an all-night war-movie marathon before closing its doors for good. When lightning strikes, three young men from the audience are propelled into the action on screen. This epic time-traveling fantasy with a pacifist message was the final masterpiece from the director of the cult favorite House (Hausu).
Visiting Guidelines: Masks are required to be worn during films and programs inside Museum auditoriums. Capacities are limited, and advance tickets are recommended. A risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public setting. In the interest of your personal safety and community health, please observe all precautions set forth by the MFAH—learn more here. Doors open 30 minutes before the screening starts. No late entry.
Accessibility Questions or Requests: If you have any questions about accessibility resources in the Museum’s auditoriums, email accessibility@mfah.org or call 713.639.7300.
All images and descriptions courtesy of MFAH.