Empire of Passion

Nagisa Ôshima knew all too well how unpredictable an artist’s fate could be. In 1976, In the Realm of the Senses embroiled him in legal trouble for obscenity, yet just two years later, Empire of Passion won him the Best Director award at Cannes. Though both films explore the elusive and ambivalent nature of desire, Empire of Passion proved far less controversial. More restrained than its predecessor, it steers clear of political undertones and is deeply rooted in Japanese tradition. One of its most intriguing aspects is the metaphysical thread woven into the otherwise realistic story of a rickshaw driver’s wife and her lover, who conspire to murder her husband. The ghost of the slain man soon begins to haunt them, turning Empire of Passion into Ôshima’s own take on kaidan – the traditional Japanese ghost story. By blending psychological tension with folklore, the film offers a haunting meditation on guilt, fate, and the inescapable weight of the past.

Piotr Czerkawski

Nagisa Ôshima – born in Kyoto, Nagisa Ôshima (1932-2013) studied at the local university. He worked as a film critic and the editor-in-chief of Eiga Hihyo magazine. He learned to direct while working as an assistant at Shochiku studios. He was one of the representatives of the Japanese New Wave. In addition to In the Realm of the Senses, his most important films include Death by Hanging, The Ceremony and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.

Catalog MFF Nowe Horyzonty 17. edition