Rough Sketch of a Spiral (1991)

The first gay Japanese documentary, Rough Sketch of a Spiral, takes an intimate look at the personal lives of gay men in Osaka. The star is 25-year-old Yoshiichi Yano who has written a play he hopes will open the public’s eyes to the status of gays in contemporary Japan, a society with deep-rooted prejudices against homosexuality. With abundant humor and nonchalant candor, director Yasufumi Kojima follows the day-to-day efforts of Yano to produce his play while introducing us to Yano’s friends and actors in the play, including a stunning drag queen and a charming 60-year-old man who claims to be gay but a virgin.

Released June 22, 1991 104 min None+

Genres: Documentary

Keywords: imdb.homosexuality, imdb.gay-japanese, imdb.osaka-japan, imdb.gay-stereotype, imdb.interview, imdb.androgyny, imdb.transvestite + 5 more, imdb.producing-a-stage-play, imdb.marginalization, imdb.cinema-verite, imdb.tradition, imdb.sociology