Ravens

The eventful life of renowned Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase is the focus of this intense portrait. An aged, disillusioned Fukase sits alone in a bar, tormented by memories—and by a mysterious, human-sized black raven that only he can see. This enigmatic creature, an embodiment of Fukase's inner demons, speaks to him in cryptic sentences, drives him to extremes, and at the same time becomes the source of his inspiration. In flashbacks, Fukase's life story unfolds: in the 1960s, he rebels against his tradition-conscious father, leaves the family's commercial photo studio, and moves to Tokyo. Amidst the vibrant avant-garde scene, Fukase creates groundbreaking works, including a shocking series shot in a slaughterhouse. During this time, he meets Yoko Wanibe, a free-spirited model who becomes his wife and creative partner. Together, they created some of his most famous images and achieved international fame. But their marriage was fraught with tension as Yoko struggled to be more than just a muse. When Fukase took on commercial assignments to support her theater ambitions, his inner raven accused him of betraying his artistic purity.