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.

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 (Tuesday 10th February)

18:00

The Hotel of My Dream 18+
£6 for members
1h 38m | Japanese w/ English subtitles
Rookie novelist Kayoko struggles with her career. Holding a grudge over the harsh criticisms from prominent literary figure Munenori, she sets out to take revenge on him — but her misfortune continues. Can she claim her position in the literary world?

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20:30

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple 18
£6 for members
1h 49m
In a ravaged Britain, a world-changing discovery and a deadly personal encounter expose a new truth: other survivors may be more terrifying than the infected. Directed by Nia DaCosta, this ferocious follow-up is darker, bloodier, and brutally intense.

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Tomorrow (Wednesday 11th February)

14:30

The History of Sound 15
2h 8m
Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor star as two young musicians who fall in love through American folk music, then reunite after World War I to preserve disappearing songs. From the director of Living, a tender, melancholic romance about the power off music and memory.

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17:30

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple 18
Descriptive subtitles
1h 49m
In a ravaged Britain, a world-changing discovery and a deadly personal encounter expose a new truth: other survivors may be more terrifying than the infected. Directed by Nia DaCosta, this ferocious follow-up is darker, bloodier, and brutally intense.

Book here

20:00

Heat 15
2h 51m
Master thief Neil McCauley plans one final LA heist as relentless detective Vincent Hanna closes in. Mutual respect grows between them despite opposite sides of the law, building toward an inevitable, explosive confrontation in Michael Mann’s landmark crime thriller.

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Plan your visit

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!