Synopsis

Winner of Best Narrative Feature and Special Jury Recognition for Performance at the 39th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Yamazaki is a 74-year old picture book writer with a penchant for sadomasochism. He was very beautiful as a young man, and is unable to accept that his beauty has faded. He has also never been in love. One night, Yamazaki meets a young and handsome sex worker called Leo, and collapses during an S&M session with him. When Leo discovers that Yamazaki is the writer of the picture books he loved as a child, he becomes fascinated by his life and personality. This is a story about a friendship between two vastly different people. It is also a story about an older man’s journey towards self-acceptance, and the universal longing to be loved. By focusing on questions of aging and non-normative sexual practices, OLD NARCISSUS explores the less sunny side of gay existence.