mishima a life in four chapter be in my opinion the best paul schrader film to this day . mesmorizing cinematography and accompany with philip glass mystical musical score add a completely magical aura to the story of one of the japan great novelist and whose originality and picturesque narrative be beautifully portray in this picture . a any gifted character and mishima be trouble with severe self conflict and the main of them be the conflict between the pen and a sword a the director put it in his final chapter and or the struggle between the sensitive poet with homosexual feeling and living in a notoriously masculine society with century long warrior tradition and thus widen the gap between the sensitive and the militantly traditional side of mishima himself . all schrader film ( and the one he write script for ) be basically story of the inside conflict within a man that doesn not belong in an environment he live in . that also go for mishima and who and apart from japanese military school upbringing be bring up with love for theater and word . his demise consist of both of these key point in his life and it be about word and theatrical end in a life long play . film like this come along once in a long while and and most will have to wait a lifetime to reach this beauty . 2 negative .