Harakiri15

Directed by Masaki Kobayashi | Japan | 1964 | 2h 14m | Japanese w/ English subtitles | Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita, Tetsurô Tanba, Masao Mishima

After the fall of his clan, masterless samurai Hanshirō arrives at the estate of Lord Iyi, asking permission to end his life through ritual suicide. The clan’s senior counsellor doubts the ronin’s sincerity, suspecting he’s simply looking for charity. But Hanshirō is not what he seems, and his quiet determination hides a deeper purpose. Masaki Kobayashi’s gripping period drama, winner of the Cannes Special Jury Prize, is a bold critique of hypocrisy, a stirring portrait of individual will, and is now hailed as one of the greatest achievements in Japanese cinema.

Classic Season: Samurai Summer

Reviews

‘It would be wrong for me to reveal the details of the story Tsugumo tells. What I can say is that it is heartbreaking.’
★★★★★
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Harakiri between July 28, 2025 and July 30, 2025.

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What else is on?

Today (Thursday 8th October)
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13:30

De Gaulle: Résistance 15
2h 38m | French w/ English subtitles
June 1940: France has fallen. Army general Charles de Gaulle refuses to accept defeat, fleeing to London to rally resistance. Simon Russell Beale plays Churchill in this internationally cast first chapter of Antonin Baudry's two-part historical epic. x§

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18:30

Bad Apples 15
1h 41m
A teacher at a struggling school kidnaps her most disruptive pupil and locks him in her basement, then watches the rest of the class flourish. Saoirse Ronan stars in this satirical black comedy about how doing the wrong thing sometimes gives the right result.

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21:00

MISSNOMA Women’s DJ Collective N/A
The Oxford-based women’s DJ collective MISSNOMA, is joining forces with the UPP cinema to hold a unique listening-room session featuring DJs Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani, Lily London, and Martha, powered by Oxford-based FLOW soundsystem.

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Tomorrow (Friday 9th October)
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14:00

De Gaulle: Liberté 15
2h 39m | French w/ English subtitles
June 1940: France has fallen and signed an armistice with Germany. With no army, no backing and little hope, General de Gaulle gambles everything to convince the world France's fight isn't over. Part two of Antonin Baudry's historical epic.

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17:30

Sense and Sensibility U
2h 12m
Mrs Dashwood and her daughters lose their Sussex home to her stepson and move to a Devon cottage, finding love and heartbreak. Georgia Oakley (Blue Jean) directs Jane Austen's story, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Fiona Shaw and George MacKay.

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20:30

Babystar 12A
1h 38m | German w/ English subtitles
Luca has been an influencer since birth, and her parents live off her income. As they consider having another child, performing for strangers starts to break her. Maja Bons gives a breakout performance in Joscha Bongard's unsettling debut.

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Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

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