Film: Profound Desires Of The Gods
Release date: 21st February 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 173 mins
Director: Shôhei Imamura
Starring: Rentarô Mikuni, Choichiro Kawarazaki, Kazuo Kitamura, Hideko Okiyama, Yoshi Katô
Genre: Drama
Studio: Eureka!
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
With the death of the much-celebrated Shohei Imamura in 2006 came the legacy of a man whose career spanned several decades. Unparalleled success in his homeland has failed to transpire abroad, largely due to distribution issues, and in keeping with this, one of his most ambitious projects, Profound Desire Of The Gods, has only recently become available on DVD and Blu-ray. Despite poor box-office performance at the time of its initial release, Imamura’s visionary work has enjoyed belated praise.
Profound Desires Of The Gods investigates a number of societal polar opposites – traditions versus modernity, mythology versus science, man versus machine. When Kariya, an engineer from Tokyo travels to a remote island to supervise the creation of a well, he encounters a mini-society in revolt.
The interbred Futori family maintains a mythical belief that their island was created as a result of the love and sexual union of a brother and sister. Labelled as ‘beasts’, and vilified by the more progressive islanders, the family’s history is both complex and disturbing. Yamamori is one of the oldest members, and his daughter, Toriko, is also his granddaughter, drawing a parallel between the make-up of their family and the origins of the islands founders and creators.
The main shrine on the island is kept hidden from the majority of the islanders, as it contains the only fresh water source, resulting in drought. The god-fearing inhabitants put this down to the Futori family and their violation of taboos, leading to further conflict. Kariya finds himself embroiled in the local conflict, and the wheels are set in motion for an epic story, which has become legendary in Japanese cinema.
Investigating the damaging effects of modernity and globalisation, Imamura sheds light on some of the origins of Japaneseness, exploring the corruption of innocence, and whether or not innocence itself is subject to corruption in its conception...
Imamura’s initial intention was to spend just six months filming. As legend has it, this became eighteen, as he found himself seduced by the natural beauty of the island and adapting to life away from the city. In keeping with this, the film opens with spontaneous shots of nature demonstrating the vitality of the island; full of colour and wonderment, these opening scenes give perhaps further insight into the profound effects the island had on Imamura. As one might expect, the visuals are particularly awe-inspiring, and the film is indeed littered with shots of the various species.
The main character, Kariya, also finds himself encapsulated by the earthly charms of island life, but not before some entertaining episodes as he combats ants and geckos during his first few days. Soon, however, the seductive charms of the female members of the Futori family begin to take effect.
With each scene we are able to unlock the intriguing fundamental truths about Japaneseness, as the film succeeds in dissecting certain traditions and moral codes, albeit with slightly reckless abandon. Imamura’s work, by reputation, is often fuelled by borderline madness, which in the case of Profound Desires, only serves to up the ante, invoking the desired reaction from the audience.
Although, at first, Imamura appears reluctant to choose a side in the battle between primitivism and forward thinking, he does begin to suggest that despite the ignorance that comes with the superstitious ways of the islanders, their culture is not baseless. Peeling away the chaotic layers, he reveals the simplistic shaman-like ways of Toriko to be a source of visionary strength.
The film’s substantial running time should not detract from what is a deeply moving and satisfying monster of a movie. Imamura delivers on several levels, conjuring a powerful and visceral dissection of cultural issues that have been at the forefront of Japanese theorising for several centuries. It is because of this film that Imamura takes his place amongst the legends of Japanese cinema.
Despite its aforementioned failure at the box office, Profound Desires Of The Gods is very much canonised as a cult classic, perhaps due to its unavailability in certain formats until very recently. What could easily feel outdated, merely due to the film’s age, remains refreshing, and the ongoing struggle between god and machine rages on. MC
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