The second film in Japanese iconoclast Shohei
Imamura’s provocatively titled trilogy Pigs,
Pimps & Prostitutes (coined by Criterion), The Insect Woman would rank among the most daring films of his
career – and that’s saying something, especially if one is aware of his body of
work. The film was daring for its complex content, but more so for its
audacious scope. Structured in the form of a bildungsroman, it covers half a century in the life of its complex protagonist Tome (superbly enacted by Sachiko Hidari), with the
various socio-political upheavals of contemporary Japanese history forming a crucial
backdrop to her fascinating, if tragic, life. The illegitimate daughter of a
dim-witted village farmer, she experiences the various extremes that life, her
various acquaintance and the times can throw at her – from being exploited as a
prostitute to becoming the madam of a brothel and exploiting others with the
tables now turned, from swindling to being swindled, and from utter
impoverishment to power and money to back to square one. She has an extended
relationship with a seemingly decent natured man only to find after her jail
term that he hasn’t just swindled her during her absence but has even started
exploiting her young daughter, while her relationship with her father is
grotesque and perverted yet also strangely touching. Imamura touched upon a
variety of dark themes, like sexual exploitation, incestuous relationships,
prostituting (both literally and figuratively) to the Americans, etc., to
portray the sordid underbelly of Japan’s changing fortunes and choices over the
years. The script alternated between ribald humour, pointed social commentary,
and poignant human drama, leading this audacious episodic film to a memorable
climax.
Director: Shohei Imamura
Genre: Black Comedy/Social Satire/Psychological Drama
Language: Japanese
Country: Japan
2 comments:
"The script alternated between ribald humour, pointed social commentary, and poignant human drama, leading this audacious episodic film to a memorable climax."
INdeed Shubhajit! Beautifully pennded and concise framing of the Imamura film I like best of all. It's very dark of course but it packs an emotional wallop!
Thanks a lot Sam for the appreciation. Yeah, it worked on multiple levels (in terms of style as well as content), and that's what made this such a richly complex and gratifying film. Great to know that this is your favourite Imamura.
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