Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's Rare Touching the Skin of Eeriness will be screened on May 19.

      Three things are probably true: 1) you're looking forward to Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden, which is premiering at Cannes this month; 2) you're not attending Cannes this month; and 3) you haven't seen his 2013 mini-feature Touching the Skin of Eeriness, where Hamaguchi delves into the unsettling aspects of Japanese horror cinema, particularly influenced by his mentor Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

      To fill in gaps and alleviate FOMO, Touching the Skin of Eeriness will be screened on Tuesday, May 19—marking its first New York showing since 2019—at the Manhattan Center for Theatre Research, presented by my series Amnesiascope. Rewatching the film ahead of the screening has highlighted Touching as a crucial piece in Hamaguchi’s body of work: its darker moments foreshadow the final act of Evil Does Not Exist, while its examination of dance and performance builds upon themes found in his earlier films and paves the way for the more profound analysis in Drive My Car. However, it stands alone, and as a prelude to a broader project yet to come (not to mention its ongoing unavailability on streaming), this may be your only chance to witness Hamaguchi's exploration of darker themes.

      Tickets are currently available for purchase, with the trailer and official description provided below.

      In celebration of his new feature ALL OF A SUDDEN debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, Amnesiascope presents Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s seldom-seen TOUCHING THE SKIN OF EERINESS. In this cleverly compact work—the prequel to a film still in the works—Hamaguchi showcases his exceptional talent for dramaturgy and staging to investigate genre cinema.

      Following his father's death, the reclusive Chihiro moves in with his older half-brother and channels his unexpressed emotions into his passion for modern dance. Chihiro’s bond with his dance partner becomes increasingly peculiar, reflecting the unusual routines developed by their intense instructor (acclaimed dancer and choreographer Osamu Jareo). As bizarre events unfold in their town, their dance takes on a haunting, metaphysical significance. Never released theatrically or on home video, TOUCHING THE SKIN OF EERINESS presents a unique opportunity to witness the emergence of one of our greatest filmmakers.