The Koumiko Mystery: Filmnotes @ PFA

The Koumiko Mystery (La Mystère Koumiko)

Marker studies a young Japanese woman, wandering about Tokyo during the 1964 Olympic games, asking her questions about how she feels about herself and the world. Koumiko comments vaguely on her feelings of separation from people and animals, of drifting with the tide of an anxious world. Amid the transience of a futuristic World’s Fair-like atmosphere, Marker may exoticize Koumiko’s ancient beauty but the “mystery” of the film’s title is, quite simply, the mystery of individuality. Please note: We regret that the color has faded to pink on our print and all prints of this film existing in the U.S.

A film by Chris Marker. (1965, 47 mins, In French with English subtitles, Color, 35mm, Print from PFA Collection/New Yorker Films Deposit)