Warai no daigaku

Not a film for the easily bored or sub-title phobic, as this film is a strictly dialogue based story between a comedic writer and his draconian censor set in pre-war Japan, where humanity is pitted against authoritarianism. As flat as that may sound, the dialogue that ensues between the protagonists is both incredibly comedic and emotional, and moreover brutally insightful into a dark period of imperialistic Japanese history that a Western audience has dwindling knowledge of. I cannot recommend this film enough, perhaps even best watched alone, which helps the viewer empathise more personally with the embattled comedic writer pitted against the brick wall of the state. This film will remain with you.