The Insect Woman (1963)

Film: The Insect Woman

Director: Shōhei Imamura

Country: Japan

Released: November 1963

Runtime: 123 minutes

Genre: Drama

Studio: Nikkatsu

Influenced: Nagisa Oshima, Park Chan-Wook, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Takashi Miike, Hirokazu Koreeda

It's interesting that Imamura started out working under Ozu given their cinematic styles couldn't be any more different. Whereas there's a purity and harmony to Ozu's classic works, Imamura like to grab his audiences by the scruff of the neck and put them into the grittiest, creepiest and most challenging atmospheres possible. The director himself called his films "messy", unafraid as they are to portray humanity's most base and animalistic desires, with characters who live on the margins of society, from criminals to prostitutes. Unlike many of the most famous Japanese directors, like Kurosawa and Ozu, who have a strong international appeal, Imamura's films lack that same sense of universality and the director himself has professed surprise that anyone outside Japan could appreciate his movies given how local and idiosyncratic they are.

Having done a deep (and rewarding) dive into Imamura's extensive filmography, there are a few films that stand out for me – from early classics like Pigs & Battleships (1961), Intentions of Murder (1964) and The Pornographers (1966) to late career gems such as Vengeance Is Mine (1979), The Ballad of Narayama (1983) and Black Rain (1989) – but I decided to go with The Insect Woman (1962) here given it's his most daring and radical film. The plot follows the life of Tome Matsuki, a woman born into poverty in rural Japan in the early 1900s. Tome's mother is a prostitute and, as a child, she is exposed to the sexual desires of men. As she grows up, Tome becomes sexually promiscuous and uses her body as a means of survival. She works as a maid, a prostitute and eventually becomes the owner of a successful bar. However, despite her success, Tome's life is plagued by tragedy and loneliness.

The Insect Woman is a daring portrayal of a woman's struggle for success and independence in the male-dominated world of post-war Japan. The film explores themes of social mobility, sexual politics and economic inequality through the character of Tome, a strong-willed and determined woman who rises from poverty to become a successful businesswoman and brothel owner. The Insect Woman is considered an important film in Japanese cinema because of its groundbreaking exploration of female sexuality and the struggles of women in post-war Japan. The film is also a forerunner in the Japanese New Wave, and you can see the influence of the French Nouvelle Vague in Imamura's use of freeze frames and archival footage, and the way the film challenges traditional storytelling techniques.

The film also explores the lives of characters who are often ignored or marginalised in Japanese society, such as sex workers and those living in poverty. Imamura's unflinching portrayal of their struggles and experiences was groundbreaking and helped to shed light on the inequalities faced by these groups. Throughout the film, Imamura uses Tome's story to critique the social and economic conditions that make it difficult for women like her to succeed. Tome's struggle highlights the oppression faced by women in Japan during this time period, and Imamura's unique storytelling style and powerful message make The Insect Woman a timeless classic in Japanese cinema.