School in the Crosshairs (1981): Surreal fight against fascism
1981 • Nobuhiko Obayashi • 1.85:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
School in the Crosshairs (Nerawareta Gakuen), directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi and based on the novel by Taku Mayumura, follows an ordinary high school student whose quiet life at school is disrupted by a mysterious new student with extraordinary psychic abilities. As the newcomer begins to exert influence over classmates and teachers alike, a struggle emerges between free will and supernatural control, drawing the protagonist into a conflict that extends beyond the school’s boundaries.
Two years before directing The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Obayashi had already delivered a high school coming-of-age sci-fi/fantasy film starring a popular 1980s idol, bearing his distinctive directorial style but with a less romantic tone. This film focuses more on shifting social dynamics and the loss of innocence through imposed social conformity, celebrating individuality and criticising a culture that puts so much pressure on young people.
A campy sci-fi spectacle with a sharp critique of Japan’s rigid education system, School in the Crosshairs features psychic, kaleidoscopic battles and leans heavily into teenage melodrama, with added dreamlike qualities courtesy of Nobuhiko Obayashi.
Technical Specs:
- The Story: A seemingly ordinary high school girl discovers she possesses powerful psychic abilities just as a mysterious new teacher arrives with a sinister agenda, forcing her into a battle that threatens both her classmates and humanity itself.
- Actors: Hiroko Yakushimaru, Ryôichi Takayanagi, Masami Hasegawa, Makoto Tezuka, Kôichi Yamamoto, Miyoko Akaza, Hajime Hana.
- Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
- Year: 1981
- Cinematographer: Yoshitaka Sakamoto
- Origin: Japanese Cinema
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy / Coming-of-Age
