Directed by- Yoshitarô Nomura
Stars : – Ken Ogata, Shima Iwashita
Sokichi (Ken Ogata) doesn’t earn enough money, and he stops providing enough money to his long time lover Kikuyo. They have 3 children as well. In the meantime, Sokichi married another woman called Oume (Shima Iwashita). Kikuyo comes to his house and leaves 3 of their children. In one night, she mysteriously disappears. Being brainwashed by her wife Oume, Sokichi tries to get rid of his kids one by one. The Demon is one of the finest achievements of Japanese cinema in the 1970s. Its account of child abuse is made all the more unsettling by Nomura’s stylistic detachment and by the relatively sympathetic characterisation of the unwillingly abusive protagonist. First of all, this film does not show any woman in a positive light. It doesn’t hold patriarchy responsible for any actions, and it is not necessary either. In some cases, women do more harm in the family than men, and it shows that. Here the demon is “Ken Ogata” who tries to commit the crime. The film concentrates on child abuse, and it shows that without taking the help of bloodbath. Ken Ogata is a demon in his intentions, but ultimately he is a human being. Even though the film is about the child, the most helpless and tragic character of the film is the perpetrator himself. There lies this film’s success and Ken Ogata is just out of the world.
debarshithecinemaniac 