Directed by Shohei Imamura • 1963 • Japan
Starring Sachiko Hidari
Born in a rural farming village in 1918, Tomé survives decades of Japanese social upheaval, as well as abuse and servitude at the hands of various men. Yet Shohei Imamura, ever the cinematic “entomologist,” refuses to make a victim of her, instead observing Tomé (played by the extraordinary Sachiko Hidari) as a fascinating, pragmatic creature of twentieth-century Japan. A portrait of opportunism and resilience in three generations of women, THE INSECT WOMAN is Imamura’s most expansive film, and Tomé his ultimate heroine.
Up Next in Directed by Shohei Imamura
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Intentions of Murder
Directed by Shohei Imamura • 1964 • Japan
Starring Masumi Harukawa, Kô Nishimura, Shigeru TsuyuguchiSadako (Masumi Harukawa), cursed by generations before her and neglected by her common-law husband, falls prey to a brutal home intruder. But rather than become a victim, she forges a path to her...
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The Pornographers
Directed by Shohei Imamura • 1966 • Japan
Starring Shoichi Ozawa, Sumiko Sakamoto, Masaomi KondoSubu makes pornographic films. He sees nothing wrong with it. They are an aid to a repressed society, and he uses the money to support his landlady, Haru, and her family. From time to time, Haru shar...
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Profound Desire of the Gods
Directed by Shohei Imamura • 1968 • Japan
Starring Kazuo Kitamura, Rentaro Mikuni, Choichiro KawarasakiIn many ways the ultimate expression of director Shohei Imamura’s vision of a world ruled by elemental instinct and chaos, this stunning, visually ambitious epic follows Kariya (Kazuo Kitamura...
