House (1977) was the third film that I saw by director Nobuhiko Obayashi. I had already seen School In The Crosshairs (1981) and I Are You, You Am Me (1982) so I was familiar with Obayashi’s style and his penchant for video effects. But there really is nothing to prepare you for seeing House for the first time. It instantly became my favorite Obayashi film.
There’s no other film quite like House. It’s comic book colors, frantic editing and plentiful optical effects make it a stylistic fever dream. House is one of those rare films that’s all style and aesthetic innovation that is wholly captivating from start to finish. The images Obayashi delivers are among the most fanciful and dreamy in all of cinema.
But what can be said about Obayashi’s House that hasn’t been said a thousand times already? It’s direct discourse with the bombing of Hiroshima and the connections Obayashi draws to the fantasy life of adolescence and its morbid preoccupations have been written about countless times. So have the technical innovations that made House at all possible.
House lives up to its reputation and rewards multiple viewings. The discussion around the film and its themes remain as relevant as ever. All that can be added at this point is personal context; the way the film looks and feels to the individual.
House is a work of pure cinematic poetry. Like Rivette and Méliès, Obayashi’s film is a celebration of the cinematic form that is articulated with the tropes and conventions of the genre film. House is a work of genius that is at time hilarious and other times terrifying. House is a film that moves its audience. A work of technical brilliance and narrative audacity that must be seen.
