Watch Heroic Purgatory

Heroic Purgatory is a complex and eerie Japanese film from 1970, directed by legendary filmmaker and artist Yoshishige Yoshida. The film is a dense and abstract meditation on political violence, memory, and love, and it features some of the most striking and disorienting images ever committed to celluloid. The main story of the film is set in the years following the student uprisings of the 1960s, but it is intercut with images and stories from earlier periods of Japanese history, as well as from the future. The result is a film that achieves a haunting and hypnotic quality, one that will provoke and inspire viewers in equal measure.

The film revolves around a young woman named Michiko (Mariko Okada), who is mourning the loss of her lover, who died in a politically motivated bombing. She is approached by a mysterious man named Toh (Kaizo Kamoda), who tells her that he knew her lover and can help her understand his motivations. But as Michiko follows Toh deeper into a labyrinthine world of secret organizations, coded messages, and shifting identities, she begins to question her own sanity and her grip on reality.

At the same time, the film introduces a number of other characters and subplots, some of which seem to bear no immediate relation to Michiko's story. There is a political activist named Takeda (Kazumi Tsutsui) who is being pursued by the authorities, a woman named Yoko (Naho Kimura) who appears to be living in a different time period, and a man named Matsuzaki (Taketoshi Naito) who is trying to uncover the truth about his past. These various threads are interwoven and fragmented, and the film challenges the viewer to piece them together in order to make sense of the larger narrative.

One of the most striking aspects of Heroic Purgatory is the way in which it plays with time and space. The film is structured around a series of flashbacks, dreams, and hallucinations, and it frequently blurs the boundaries between past, present, and future. At certain points, the film appears to be taking place in a kind of limbo, a space outside of time in which the characters are trapped. This sense of dislocation is reinforced by the film's unusual visual style, which employs a variety of techniques including superimpositions, jump cuts, and a jarring use of color.

Another key theme of the film is the idea of memory, and how it can be both a source of strength and a source of suffering. Michiko is haunted by the memory of her lover, and she spends much of the film trying to come to terms with his death and his motivations. Similarly, Matsuzaki is on a quest to recover his lost memories, which he believes will give him a sense of identity and purpose. But as the film progresses, it becomes clear that memory is a slippery and elusive thing, and that it is often subject to interpretation and revision.

At its core, Heroic Purgatory is a film about the nature of political violence, and the various ways in which it can be justified or condemned. The film is set in the aftermath of the student uprisings of the 1960s, and it explores the tensions between revolutionary idealism and terrorist tactics. There are moments in the film where characters debate the merits of violent actions, and discuss the ways in which they can be used to achieve political goals. But the film is also deeply critical of these tactics, and it suggests that violence can be a self-destructive and nihilistic impulse.

Overall, Heroic Purgatory is a challenging and thought-provoking film that rewards careful attention and repeated viewings. Yoshida's command of visual language is unparalleled, and the film contains some of the most haunting and unforgettable images in all of cinema. It is a film that offers no easy answers, and it demands that its audience engage with its ideas and themes on a deep and intellectual level. For those who are willing to take the journey, Heroic Purgatory is an unforgettable and rewarding film experience.

Heroic Purgatory is a 1970 drama with a runtime of 2 hours and 1 minute. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.1.