FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES

With FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES Toshio Matsumoto ignited the Japanese New Wave. In one of the earliest, most radical queer films from East Asia, Matsumoto blends documentary, avant-garde montage, and playful metafiction into a thrilling portrait of the ‘gay boy’ subculture, where labels such as ‘drag’, ‘gay’, or ‘trans’ were still fluid. With his keen eye for the fringes of society, Matsumoto reveals not only the glamour but also the grim reality behind the glittering facades of Shinjuku’s nightlife.

This loose adaptation of the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex follows Eddie, a gender-nonconforming hostess, as they navigate a city that both celebrates and rejects them. This leads to a psychosexual awakening and numerous romantic rivalries. No exoticising gaze, but an invitation to step inside Eddie’s mind. There, we are introduced to her desires, traumas, and gender euphoria. With echoes of Derek Jarman, yet entirely unique in its queer rebellion, FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES is a poetic sledgehammer blow that still tingles and provokes.

This screening is part of BOSCINEMA: an eclectic film programme that focuses on reflection and social engagement. While the world is burning, we build a cinephile community rooted in solidarity. This summer, Het Bos and De Cinema present four open-air screenings in what is perhaps Antwerp’s cosiest courtyard: the BOStuin.