Mishima is difficult to characterize. It is something of a biographical essay about purity, beauty, art, idealism, action, and death. The exploration of themes and the direction of the film give a very 60s feeling to it. Mishima is interesting and I may have rated it higher except for the fact that it is also confusing and I found it difficult to tell who was Mishima versus a character from his fiction since it jumped around in time and I was totally unfamiliar with his biography. As someone who dislikes spoilers, I'd nonetheless recommend that others go ahead and read his biography before watching (and I do recommend the film).

3.5 / 5.0