An Innocent Witch
Directed by Heinosuke Gosho
Written by Hideo Horie from a novel by Hajime Ogawa
1965/Japan
Shochiku Eiga
First viewing/FilmStruck
Possession and exorcism is something that’s in every religion and every culture. It’s a real primal fear: Is the body a vessel for our spirits? What happens if something else takes over it? Where does the spirit go? — Eli Roth
Story of the “possession” of a young prostitute provides some compelling drama.
The film is set in the early days of WWII. Teenager Ayako (Jitsuko Yoshimura – Onibaba) works cheerfully with her parents in a dirt poor fishing village. Dad has become disabled and mother sells Ayako to a brothel to feed the family. She loses her virginity to Yamasan, a wealthy industrialist and he becomes her regular client. As time passes Ayako goes from being a terrified little girl to the most popular prostitute at the brothel.
One day, a group of young men graduating from military academy come in looking for a good time. One hangs back and Ayako takes charge of him. They eventually fall in love. Unbeknownst to her, he is the estranged son of Yamasan. It is very bad mojo to sleep with both father and son in Japan. First Yamasan and later the son die unexpectly in Ayako’s presence. Things go downhill from there as rumors spread that Ayako is possessed.
This is a well-made movie that kept my interest all the way through. Don’t know that it will be vivid in my memory for long though.
