BOY (1969)
That’s right — three of your favorite boys talkin’ BOY ! A preteen boy living on the streets of Tokyo pulls scams to provide for his dysfunctional family. It takes a toll on his body and his mind: He and his stepmom take turns throwing themselves in front of moving vehicles and extorting innocent motorists by threatening to go to the police. The scores keep getting bigger and the opportunities keep shrinking until it seems there’s no way out of the vicious cycle — not with a wounded vet for a dad, a toddler to care for, and another baby on the way. In this episode, we tug at threads about growing wealth disparities during Japan’s “economic miracle,” the boy’s internal fantasies and external realities, and where in the world our friend Aaron Grossman went. References: “Young Boy, Old Soul” by Terry Serres for Perisphere, the Trylon blog “The Films of Oshima Nagisa: Images of a Japanese Iconoclast” by Maureen Turim from University of California Press Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #TwoFamilyTraumasbyNagisaŌshima #35mm Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast , Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st , and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy . Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: by Hikaru Hayashi from the BOY soundtrack. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 345: BOY (1969) 2:54 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary (under exclusive license from AG Enterprises, Ltd.) 6:59 - The overall experience of watching BOY 10:33 - The work of Nagisa Ōshima and criticism of postwar Japanese society 15:48 - Where this story chooses to focus its attention 29:13 - The family roles and who’s ‘responsible’ for their situation 44:46 - The crazy editing choices 54:57 - The ending and the boy’s growing sense of responsibility 1:08:28 - The Junk Drawer 1:16:48 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1969 1:19:51 - Cody’s Noteys: Where in the World is Aaron Grossman? (Trivia about people named Aaron Grossman)