Cast: Kazuo Kitamura, Choichiro Kawarasaki, Hudeko Okiyama, Kanjuro Arashi, Rentaro Mikuni, Yukuo Matsui, Yoshi Kato. Screenplay: Kenji Hasebe, Shohei Imamura. Cinematography: Masao Tochizawa. Production design: Takeshi Omura. Film editing: Mutsuo Tanji. Music: Toshiro Mayazumi.
Shohei Imamaura's Profound Desires of the Gods makes many demands on the viewer in addition to its 172-minute length. The chief demand lies in the characters, most of whom are the incestuous members of the Futori family, outcasts on the isolated Kurage Island. Theirs is an insular life indeed, at least until Kanya (Kazuo Kitamura), an engineer, is sent there by his company with a view to developing a sugar cane mill there. The engineer's search for a source of fresh water puts him into intimate contact with the Futoris, particularly the highly sexed and mentally challenged Toriko (HIdeko Okiyama). There's also a cult religion maintained by priestesses that's an obstacle to the developers. The culture clash on which the film centers is familiar enough, and it takes a predictable course. Some critics consider it Imamura's masterpiece, but it's a difficult film to engage with because of the eccentricities of the characters. The images of the island -- it was filmed on Ishigaki, part of the Yaeyama Islands archipelago southwest of Okinawa -- are often spectacular. The remote location led to cost overruns and delays in the filming, which took 18 months, and the film was not a commercial success.
