Postman Blues

In the organizer's words:

ポストマン・ブルース
Posutoman burûsu

Director: Sabu
1997, 110 minutes, OmeU, 35 mm

FSK from 16

This fast-paced action comedy revolves around a young letter carrier who unwittingly becomes involved in the criminal world of the Yakuza and is targeted by the police. It is the second directorial work by Sabu (Tanaka Hiroyuki), who can also be seen in a supporting role.

Sawaki lives an unexcited life and delivers the mail every day on a red bicycle. On one of his rounds, he meets his old friend Noguchi. In the meantime, he has joined the ranks of the drug dealers and smuggles a package into Sawaki's bag, where his bloody finger, which he had cut off yakuza-style, accidentally ends up in the postbag. A bizarre chain of events is set in motion in which letter carrier, yakuza and police chase each other through the streets of Tokyo and Sawaki also experiences a romance with the seriously ill Sayoko.

movie series
Turning Point
Japanese films from the 1990s

The decline of the studio system in the 1980s and the bursting of the speculative bubble at the beginning of the 1990s marked a turning point in the Japanese film industry. A generation of directors emerged who created independent productions with great creativity and small budgets, giving the film landscape an exciting new impetus. The series shows eight titles that impressively express this change.

It opens with a tragicomedy by Sai Yôichi about the lives of social minorities(Tsuki wa dotchi ni dete iru), followed by the story of the (sexual) relationship between two runners by Hiroki Ryûichi(800 Two Lap Runners). Suwa Nobuhiro, on the other hand, paints a multi-layered portrait of a young couple(2/Dyuo) and Kurosawa Kiyoshi, the master of thrillers and horror films, provides deep insights into the abysses of the human psyche(Hebi no michi; Karisuma). In a mixture of tragedy and comedy, Sabu tells the story of an unsuspecting letter carrier(Posutoman burûsu), while Kawase Naomi focuses on the problems of a family in a rural region(Moe no Suzaku). Finally, Miike Takashi is represented with a yakuza film full of absurdities(Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha).

The film series takes place in cooperation with the Nippon Connection film festival in Frankfurt (27.05. - 01.06.2025). Further information can be found at https://nipponconnection.com/