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

      Three things are likely true: 1) you’re thrilled about Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden, which is set to premiere at Cannes this month; 2) you won’t be attending Cannes this month; 3) you haven't viewed his 2013 mini-feature Touching the Skin of Eeriness, where Hamaguchi delves into the unsettling elements of Japanese horror cinema, particularly influenced by his mentor Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

      To fill in the gaps and alleviate any 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, courtesy of my series Amnesiascope. Rewatching the film beforehand has underscored its significance in Hamaguchi’s body of work: its more foreboding scenes precede the climactic portion of Evil Does Not Exist, while its emphasis on dance and performance extends the themes explored in his earlier films, setting the stage for the deeper analysis found in Drive My Car. However, nothing exactly compares to it, and as the precursor to a broader endeavor yet to be realized (not to mention its ongoing absence from distribution and streaming), this might be the only occasion to witness Hamaguchi navigating darker themes.

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

      In celebration of his new feature ALL OF A SUDDEN premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, Amnesiascope is pleased to present Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s seldom-seen TOUCHING THE SKIN OF EERINESS. In this masterfully brief project—the precursor to a film that has yet to be completed—Hamaguchi skillfully employs his extraordinary talents in dramaturgy and staging to examine genre cinema.

      Following his father's passing, the withdrawn Chihiro starts living with his older half-brother and channels unexpressed emotions into his one true passion: modern dance. Chihiro’s bond with his dance partner becomes increasingly peculiar, reflecting the routines created by their passionate instructor (noted dancer and choreographer Osamu Jareo). As unsettling events accumulate in town, their dance takes on a dark, metaphysical significance. Having never been released in theaters or on home video, TOUCHING THE SKIN OF EERINESS presents a rare opportunity to witness one of our greatest filmmakers in the early stages of his craft.