A portrait of the brilliantly gifted and deeply troubled Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase, “Ravens” is an arresting and engrossing slice of artistic life on the edge from “England Is Mine” director Mark Gill. A mix of dark fantasy and potent drama set largely in the ’60s and ’70s, Gill has fashioned his view of the turning points in Fukase’s life and career as a love triangle between the photographer; his wife and collaborator Yoko Wanibe; and Fukase’s inner demons and artistic desires, which come to startling life in the form of a giant talking raven. Starring Emmy-nominated “Shogun” actor Tadanobu Asano as the artist whose work continues to be discovered and celebrated long after his death in 2012, “Ravens” should appeal to adventurous viewers whether or not they’re familiar with Fukase.

Taking its title from a 10-year black-and-white project published to wide acclaim in 1986, “Ravens” opens with Fukase’s 1982 statement,...