Teshigahara Hiroshi is world-famous for his trilogy of films based on novels by Abe Kobo: "Otoshiana" (Pitfall, 1962), "Suna no onna" (Woman of the Dunes, 1964) and "Tanin no kao" (The Face of Another, 1966). These atmospheric and mysterious films mixed dark themes from literature and political history to a cinematic approach, which was part of the Japanese New Wave. For myself, they are all among my favorite films. But Teshigahara as a director is not a household figure like Kurosawa, Masumura, Ichikawa Kon, or Kobayashi Masaki. There a two reasons for this. First is, that after those films, Teshigahara did not make many more, even though he lived until 2001. The second reason is, that his remaining work in television, documentaries and feature films did not at all resemble the style of the films, with which he broke through. "Rikyu" (1989) is a wonderful example. A glorious film, which stylistically you would never connect to "Pitfall".
But actually Teshigahara did make one more adaptation of Abe after the three films, "Moetsukita chizu" (The Man Without a Map, 1968). The film has been largely ignored for years, and when the other three are published on DVD, this usually does not accompany them. Which is a crying shame, if you ask me. "The Man Without a Map" is not a film for everyone. Most people who liked the controlled amount of chaos and confusion in the three previous Abe films, are going to find this to be an overdose. With the other films, you had a sense of narrative, even if there were peculiar segments to it. The stylistic black and white cinematography also supported the general atmosphere. "The Man Without a Map" is in color, and completely dismisses the conservatism of having a narrative. This film is an outrageous experiment, a mystery that defies logical approaches. It is a movie destined for financial failure and a cult status.
The film was produced by Katsu Productions, the production company of "Zatoichi" star Katsu Shintaro, who plays the lead of the film. If you come to watch this film expecting "usual" Teshigahara, you will be let down. If you come to watch this film expecting usual starring vehicle for Katsu, you will be demanding your money back. Katsu plays a detective, who has been hired to search for a lady's missing husband. The key element is the search, as nobody seems too eager to find him. Katsu interviews a bunch of people, who question why a fairly successful mid-level manager like that would feel the need to disappear. The investigation is from the start more of a philosophical problem, than an actual crime narrative. We ponder the reasons for disappearing, how to do so, and what the effect of it is to a community, or does it in fact have no effect? Who was the man who disappeared, or does it even matter? Who is the detective himself? Are we all disappearing gradually? If so, why is this, where do we go, and where are we now?
Yes, it's that kind of a picture. Katsu's character soon discovers, that this case is almost impossible to solve, since nobody is telling him the complete truth, and nobody is that interested either. Atsumi Kiyoshi plays the only one who wants to talk to the detective at length, but he has his own reasons, and the detective does not like his company. As the movie progresses, it becomes more and more a mental journey. The horror element is not as strong as in the previous Teshigahara films, but it's there, and certainly this is a film that benefits, if you watch it in a dark room with your 6th cup of coffee. It's not trippy in a 60's way, though it's at times very weird. Some will find this utterly boring, but I found it very intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable. I laughed several times, and several scenes kind of reminded of later works by David Lynch or David Cronenberg, both favorites of mine. Also, like many Abe adaptations, this heavily resembles Kafka in atmosphere and concept.
The cinematography is really the star of the film, as every scene is shot in ways, that contribute to the surreal atmosphere. The scenes among Katsu's journey change from one to another, without any progress happening. Yet, the scenes themselves were very memorable. The night-time fight scene in the sandpit, Katsu fantasizing about covering a lady in fallen leafs, the strange conversations with Atsumi... they all formed this strange whole, which either grabs you or doesn't. For me this is Katsu Shintaro's most interesting film. I like his jidai-geki films, but this is so ambitious, so fearless. Katsu is best known for playing Zatoichi the blind swordsman, and Atsumi Kiyoshi is best known for playing Tora-san, the lovable tramp in the world's longest film franchise. Seeing them two together in a film, and that film being THIS, was an experience. I can not NOT love this.
Most people will hate this film, or turn it off after 20 minutes. Personally, I watch 100 bad films just to find one film like "The Man Without a Map". They're rare, and should be cherished.
