deschreiber

Oharu's story is certainly one of setback after setback, a fall from the heights to the lowest depths. It's not fun to watch. But I don't think it's quite as bad for the viewer as some people here are saying, because her tribulations become so predictable, almost mechanical; no matter what her change in circumstance, we know it is going to turn out badly for her. If we were allowed to hope on her behalf, that would make her story truly tragic and crushing. The relentlessness of her fate creates a distance between us. I found myself focusing more on the social conditions of women in Japan at that time and the meanness and immorality of the men taking are of her than on her suffering itself.

The sets, costumes, music, and authenticity of the time period are impressive.

What a story! You have to feel for all those people looking to find some significance in their lives, desperate for something greater than ordinary life, hungering for a "spiritual path," and looking to gurus who show them the way. Giving complete submission to their fellow human beings, putting them on a pedestal of cosmos proportions, they are exploited in every possible way, as scroungers of money, as servants, and as sexual slaves. The absolute power given to the gurus went to their heads, ending not merely in extreme self-indulgence and financial corruption, but sexual abuse of both adults and children, and several instances of murder. Kudos to those brave souls who broke free from it all and now help to tell the story. I suppose there will always be new cults arising, given the needs that some people have and the temptation others feel to exploit it, but stories like this might slow their growth and put more people on the alert for warning signs. Just as everyone now knows about the dangers of putting 100% faith in Christian pastors and priests, everyone should see this film to learn that the same dangers exist in other religions.

What a mish mash! I don't know how long until I started to catch on to the real story, but it seemed like forever. For the longest time it was just a bundle of distractions, unnamed, unexplained characters, events with no apparent point, all sense of character and plotline drowned out by ridiculously exaggerated noise and chaotic movement. Why did she force him to masturbate? Why did she come on to him sexually? Was there any real feeling between them? Nothing in the story gave grounds for it, but they talk as if there might be. Is the terrorist group dedicated to freeing ICE detainees or are they more revolutionaries and anti-capitalists? Should we be keeping track of this character or another one? It was all sound and fury signifying nothing for the longest time.

Way too many shots were extreme close-ups of actors' faces.

I didn't much like the ads, but there was promise of humour. It never showed up. Only a single moment raised a smile for me, when the top right-wing nasties concluded their meeting with "Hail Saint Nicholas!"

When this is re-run on television in a few years, nobody is going to care about it. They'll flip the channel to watch Airplane! For the thirteenth time.