La berceuse de la grande terre

The story of an orphan girl, brought up in naive, rustic innocence by an elderly relative, who is suddenly exposed to the brutality, greed and deceptiveness of the outside world, when her grandmother dies.

Notwithstanding her healthy distrust of all strangers, which her upbringing instilled in her, it is not long before a cunning racketeer finds her weak point, that temptation which she cannot resist, that weakness, different as it may be, that each of us has, and brings her into his power.

What follows is a depiction of her cruel descent into the depths of moral decay, as she becomes a collaborator in a system of exploitation, unbridled lust, vanity, and greed, in which she and other victims are always the losers. But throughout this struggle, there remains in her the seed of defiance, and a spark of resistance, a stubborn obstinacy that will not give in. It is this conflict between fundamental principle and the expedience of giving in to material advantage that forms the core of the film. The irreconcilable contradiction between eternal values, and short term gratification.

A difficult and demanding film to watch, that is however very well made, intense, and memorable.

With an interesting storyline and a harsh outlook on ancient japan awful commons concerning women. The only slight downside I find of this movie is the constant yelling of the protagonist, I get she's supposed to be an angry teenager put to trial against different odds during an extremely difficult part of her life but on the long run it gets a bit irritating. On a side note, Meiko Kaji gives an excellent performance in the four-five minutes she is on the screen without yelling. Give it a watch.