About

Hiroshi Asai leads a life of delinquency. The son of a father who died in the Second World War and a mother who scrapes by selling fish, he shows little concern for social morals. But when he gets caught thieving from a jewellery store, Asai is sent to a reform school, where he faces harsh physical training, strict routines and bullying. Initially assigned to the laundry department, Asai is later transferred to the carpentry group, where he develops friendships that gradually give him a new outlook on life.

Bad Boys is a one-of-a-kind example of early Japanese New Wave experimentation, and marks director Susumu Hani’s debut feature-length narrative film. Shot on location with handheld cameras and starring non-professional actors with real-life reform school experience, this film stands out for its raw yet charming authenticity. Told from the perspective of the young protagonists and rich with voiceover commentary offering secret insights throughout, Bad Boys draws the audience into the unflinching world of the troubled youth.

Voted Best Film of 1961 by Kinema Junpo and winner of the 1961 Grand Prize at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival, this pseudo-documentary earned Hani the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award. In 1962, composer Tōru Takemitsu received the Mainichi Film Concours award for Best Film Score for his work on the film’s soundtrack.

All Ages | Contains mild themes, violence and sexual references