THE ISLAND CLOSEST TO HEAVEN (1984) — Teenage Dream: Obayashi in the ’80s

Name: THE ISLAND CLOSEST TO HEAVEN (1984) — Teenage Dream: Obayashi in the ’80s
Start: 2025-08-23T16:00:00-05:00
Location: Arkadin Cinema & Bar

Schedule

Sat, 23 Aug, 2025 at 04:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Arkadin Cinema & Bar | Southhampton, MO

This August, Arkadin is excited to present TEENAGE DREAM: OBAYASHI IN THE ’80s, a collection of restored films by Nobuhiko Obayashi, the filmmaker behind legendary horror freakout, House (also playing this month). These restorations are made possible by Cult Epics and the American Genre Film Archive.
“[Obayashi] feels like he’s reinventing cinema with every movie he makes.” – Sean Gilman
After her father’s sudden passing, high schooler Mari decides to take a trip to the islands of New Caledonia to find the fabled “island closest to heaven”—a local legend that she and her father had once dreamed of unearthing. From landmark director Nobuhiko Obayashi (House), The Island Closest to Heaven is a nostalgic and reflective look at coming of age, following Mari in her adventures across the islands as she searches for some deeper meaning to life. Although not as high concept as Obayashi’s populous films, The Island Closest to Heaven is a sweet, gentle film about self reflection based on a popular 1966 travelogue of the same name by Katsura Morimura.
“[A] dreamy romantic adventure…It really feels like a fairy tale.” – Jitendar Canth