Hakuchu no torima

Based on the true story of a serial killer who terrorized Japan in the '50s, Oshima's chilling, brilliant crime film was once considered the most highly edited work in the history of Japanese cinema: dozens of cuts are often used for one short sequence, and there are over 2,000 shots in all. After a youth commune collapses, its members driven to despair or suicide, one of the collective's workers encounters a psychotic drifter while working as a maid. Falling under his spell, she becomes his witness, abettor, and protector as he repeatedly rapes and murders, the police close on his trail.