Mishima : A Life in Four Chapters (1985, Paul Schrader)

"Here was the moment I had always been seeking..."

The generic definition of a biopic is meant to inculcate all the major and minor events of the personality specified, with the maker adding its own vision to it, therefore providing many other spectra to a bland lifestyle of events.

Mishima : A Life in Four Chapters might be the best of this genre I've seen till date. Even if one excludes the art of disposition in this film, what stands this film out of every other genre trope, is director Paul Schrader's sublime conception of presenting a life of a rather unknown protagonist, Yukio Mishima, in the form of his literary works, moulding his life events on the characters of those stories, thus delivering a mellowed cacophony of a forgotten hero.

Then comes director's virtuosity in choosing the characters and surroundings with utmost accuracy and cleverly designed misé-en-scéne, the beautifully fabricated fictions of the poet in vibrantly contrasting sets, thus establishing the mundanity and confinement of life, finding a way to break the chain.

The takeaway is easily the final act of this film, which has been teased right from the opening scene, slowly and meticulously building up the anticipation until the curtain drops, but rest of the three acts works as a magnificent machinery to the final act. Altercation of political ideologies, a man grappling against the opposed system alone, brooding with patriotism, and seeking refuge to solace when all hell breaks loose, Ken Ogata delivers a lifetime performance as Yukio Mishima, unsurpassable to a rather great extent. Philip Glass' astounding score is possibly if not the best, the most avant-garde musical melancholy, standing the test of time.

Lastly, to put it in a miniscule opinion, Mishima breaks all the stereotypes of a genre-defining phenomenon, with brilliant color juxtaposition and production design, but more than that, a biopic which can be touted as a honeyed bitter saga of a chevalier whose bleeding for the country can even be regarded as a modicum to preserving the supreme legacy of Japan.