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Pale Flower

乾いた花

Year
1964
Length
96 minCriterion Collection spine 564 catalogue presentation Version sources ↓

A yakuza released from prison meets a reckless gambler, and their search for excitement draws them towards danger.

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Country
Japan
Language
Japanese
TenseStrange Approachable · Moderate
Pale Flower 1964

What to expect

The gambling room makes repetition feel charged: cards, glances and small sounds become a ritual. Shinoda’s crime story offers a way to watch how form can express restlessness without explaining every motive. Treat the attraction between Muraki and Saeko as a question, rather than a promise of romantic rescue.

How to ease in

You do not need to understand every card-game rule. Follow the changing stakes and the pair’s appetite for risk; listen to the score alongside the sounds of play. This is a route through atmosphere and tension, rather than a puzzle with a reassuring solution.

Heads-up

A quick, non-exhaustive note Gambling, organised crime and violence drive the story. Its attraction to danger and emotionally detached characters may be unsettling.
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Credits & versions

Version map

Criterion Collection spine 564 catalogue presentation 96 min · home video Listed catalogue duration only. The Channel stream, Japan Society 35mm screening and other restorations are not established as the same presentation; no runtime was measured. Source: The Criterion Collection Runtime reference · Checked 2026-10-26

Official availability link

Criterion Channel — official listing ↗

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The catalogue duration above is not a measured stream runtime. Link checked 2026-10-26 on Criterion’s film page; service and subscription information.

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