LGBTQ+ Underground Presents "Funeral Parade of Roses" (1969)

Our monthly series highlighting LGBTQ+ films. This month, the inspiration for Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange," Toshio Matsumoto's "Funeral Parade of Roses" (1969, NR, 1h 45m).

“Funeral Parade of Roses” is a groundbreaking Japanese film directed by Toshio Matsumoto. Set in the underground world of Tokyo’s gay and transgender community in the late 1960s, the film follows the tumultuous life of a young transgender woman named Eddie. Through a mix of documentary-style interviews and avant-garde storytelling, the film explores themes of identity, sexuality, and societal repression. Eddie becomes entangled in a love triangle while working at a gay bar, leading to a tragic and surreal climax. The film’s bold visual style and experimental narrative techniques have made it a cult classic and an influential work in LGBTQ+ cinema.