Profound Desires of the Gods

A hidden gem from Japan that was finally available in the West a year or so ago. At nearly three hours, it is a very slow burn, but once the set-up of its tradition versus progress ideas is completed, it slowly becomes a great film, set in a beautiful shot area of Japanese wilderness, and portrays its issues in multiple and interesting ways. Seeing it will show another side of Japanese cinema to you as a viewer and how good it can be.

A rare breed of film, where the technical prowess ensures the idiosyncratic content is smooth and accessible. Like your psychonaut work buddy who's still able to work harder than everyone else. A true creation. ~~(10 years later - I've now seen 4 more of his films, and my reviews are basically 'Shame it's nowhere near as good as Profound Desires')~~

An irreverent, in fact scathing, critique of the subjugating effects of religion/tradition/"culture". Both depressing and infuriating. It's also strange, creepy, visceral and generally enthralling.

Incredibly strange film, jut about held together by Imamura. Athough it's a comepletely different type of movie, with different aims, it reminded me of The Wicker Man - probably because of the unease I feel when I'm faced with such extreme religious beliefs and practices. There are some genius touches here especially in the acting, the cinematography, the characters and in Inamura's ability to convey the inevitable move away from tradition towards modernity, experienced by the Islanders.

I guess 'weird & boring Japanese films from the 60's' isnt a genre I'll be pursuing any further

Local Hero meets Wicker Man meets anthropology 101. Complex examination of the role of mythology & tradition in an insular community faced with the prospects of modernisation. Demanding & unpatronising, the almost scientific approach makes this fascinating & gives weight to the drama. Takes its time to set things up but is very rewarding in the long run. Tochizawa's surreal touches rarely work seamlessly with Imamura's socio-anthropological vision yet there are some fantastic visual flourishes.

Shohei Imamura's mammoth portrait of life on an isolated Japanese island, focusing on a family who believe themselves cursed and an engineer who comes to help develop the island, but finds himself drawn into the madness. Death, incest, shamanism, and folklore all factor into the mix, and while it's overlong and often repetitive (with an iffy coda), it boasts fine acting (especially Hideko Okiyama as the retarded daughter), gorgeous cinematography, and portrays a genuinely fascinating world.

While undoubtedly sympathetic to the culture and traditions that are being lost to industrialisation, this film also shows the irrational tendencies and injustice accompanying the former. Despite this admirable complexity, this comes across too much as a combination of farce and didacticism, an unappealing mix that tends to linger at the surface of the questions it raises, despite the central place given to sexuality. This weakness ultimately means that the film cannot justify its running time.

Takes a sledgehammer to the traditional nature of Japanese culture displayed in movies from Imamura's mentor Ozu etc. A lot of fun

I profoundly desired for it to end