The Face of Another (Teshigahara, 1966)
I don't have anything really brilliant to say about it, but I'm really glad this was dictated to me. This is definitely a slow, methodical burn with sort of mad scientist undertones; less a science fiction film and more a surreal drama. I especially enjoyed the dialogue, contemplating how people judge their own appearances and how they get judged by others. As someone who is very physically self-conscious, a lot of this really resonated with me. And I totally loved the surreal aspects of this film, lots of neat editing tricks and imagery (the x-ray scene right at the top sticks out). The design of the "laboratory" was great too, such a nice take on an old premise in science fiction films. If I had one thing to nitpick, it would be the secondary plot with the young disfigured girl. I could have either used even more of it. She seemed like a very interesting character about which I would like to learn more. That is just a small thing though. Overall, highly recommended to anyone looking for a slower-paced, philosophical sci-fi film. Thanks to MartinTeller for the dictation!