A gay Japanese teen filmed his own high school years in secret 8mm—decades before it was safe to.
Hashiguchi's own high school years from 1979 to 1981 on 8mm.
Direction
Self-directed autobiography made by a teenager who didn't know he'd become a filmmaker.
Editing
No narration. Just footage. Hashiguchi let silence do the screaming.
Director
Ryosuke Hashiguchi
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot during Japan's late Shōwa period, when homosexuality was pathologized and invisible in mainstream culture. Hashiguchi couldn't show this for years.
The title 'Lala...' mimics how Japanese teens would censor themselves mid-sentence—speaking desire without finishing the thought. The ellipsis is the closet.
JP
