An Innocent Witch (1965)
Ayako, a young woman from a rural fishing village, is sold by her family into a brothel when her father takes ill. There, she is quickly stripped of her innocence and illusions.
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My first film by Gosho, and I was expecting a soft social drama but this one ended up as a dark psychological tragedy. A very good film on formal levels and has an interesting story too. Ayako Oshima is a girl driven to prostitution by poverty and at her brothel, she gets involved in a dangerous death-web of fate with a father and his sons, and that slowly leads to an even greater tragedy. The film is melodramatic but fervently so, bringing into picture the extreme emotions raging within Ayako. The north Japan landscapes are beautifully shot and the confines of the brothel are well used to capture Ayako's self-discovery and eventful journey. The haunting soundtrack adds the correct flavor to the movie and the ending, even if it feels a bit staged, is intense and liberating. In fact, Jitsuko Yoshimura as Ayako is really good, effortlessly portraying the pain and despair of an accursed soul, and that factor really holds the movie together and makes the viewers feel her caged emotions. The movie overall has a classic Japanese feel, simple and universal, yet layered, and more of a witness to life than a judge.