Profound Desires of the Gods

Main Plot

"Profound Desires of the Gods," directed by Shôhei Imamura, is a captivating exploration of the clash between traditional and modern values on a remote Japanese island. The film delves into the lives of the Futori family, who embody the island's ancient customs and are considered outcasts by the other islanders due to their bizarre behaviors and adherence to outdated rituals. The narrative unfolds with the arrival of an engineer from Tokyo, sent to oversee the construction of a well, symbolizing the encroachment of modernity on this isolated community. His presence triggers a series of events that further entangle him with the Futori family's complex and taboo-laden dynamics. The film intricately portrays the struggle between progress and preservation, highlighting the impact of modernization on traditional communities. Imamura uses this setting to explore broader themes of human desire, cultural conflict, and the inescapable pull of fate, all while presenting a rich tapestry of myth and reality that questions the very foundations of human nature and civilization.

Characters

• Rentarô Mikuni plays the character Nekichi Futori, who is imprisoned in a pit for his incestuous relationship, symbolizing the clash between traditional and modern values on the island.
• Chôichirô Kawarasaki plays Nekichi Futori, a man chained in a pit for his incestuous relationship, symbolizing traditional values clashing with modern influences on a remote island.
• Hideko Okiyama plays Toriko, a mentally challenged woman involved in an incestuous relationship, highlighting the isolated island's primitive and taboo customs.

Ending Explained

In the concluding sequence of Shôhei Imamura's film "Profound Desires of the Gods," the narrative reaches its climax on the remote Okinawan island, portraying the collapse of the Futori family and, symbolically, the ancient ways of life. The film ends with a dramatic and symbolic act where Toriko, the mentally challenged daughter of the Futori family, releases the family's sacred bull, which had been kept tied up as a part of a religious tradition. This act of releasing the bull signifies a break from the oppressive and archaic traditions that have dominated the family and the island's culture. As the bull rampages through the island's sugar cane fields, it leads to a catastrophic destruction of the crop, which is a vital economic resource for the island. This destruction can be seen as a metaphor for the disruptive impact of abandoning old traditions without a sustainable replacement, reflecting the broader themes of the film regarding the tension between modernity and tradition. The film concludes with the image of the bull falling into a pit, which metaphorically encapsulates the fate of the Futori family and their old ways, suggesting an inevitable decline and the harsh consequences of resisting change. This ending emphasizes the complex interplay of fate, individual actions, and cultural transformation, leaving the audience to ponder the costs of progress and the loss of heritage.