Empire of Passion

A film set in a Japanese village at the end of the nineteenth century. Seki is a middle-aged woman. Her husband Gisaburo pulls a rickshaw; he works late into the night and is seldom at home. A young man, Toyoji, comes back to the village from the army. A relationship begins between him and Seki. Toyoji makes a proposal: let us get rid of the husband. She refuses at first and then agrees. They kill him, throw him into a well and tell the village he has gone to Tokyo for work. From there the film moves close to horror. Seki sees her husband on the road at night; he comes with his rickshaw and speaks. The villagers begin seeing things too. There is also a real danger: the well is in the middle of the village and the water will rise when the snow melts. A constable arrives and keeps the investigation going. What the narrative is interested in is not the crime but the waiting that follows it: for three years nobody says anything and two people live the same lie every day. Kazuko Yoshiyuki plays Seki and Tatsuya Fuji plays Toyoji. Nagisa Oshima directed. The film won the prize for best director at Cannes. A strong production for anyone who likes Japanese cinema and drama with a ghost in it. Before you watch, know this: the film shows sex and violence directly.