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| Images courtesy of Third Window Films |
Scent of a Spell (1985) does follow the "rules" set for Nikkatsu Roman Pornos: steamy sex scenes crop up frequently, it was made with a small budget, and it had a short shooting schedule. However, in the hands of director Toshiharu Ikeda, it transcends mere titillation and dives into the darker side of love and betrayal, as well as how women are treated like possessions in some relationships.
The film begins on a rainy night, as Tetsuro (Johnny Okura) heads home after a long night at his local bar. As he is traipsing home in the storm, he comes across Akiko (Mari Amachi), a young suicidal woman who is standing at the edge of a bridge. She jumps in and is swallowed by the murky depths, but Tetsuro immediately jumps in after her and pulls her out of the river. Akiko is delirious; all she can whisper is "no police," which prompts Tetsuro to take her back to his place. This incident catalyzes an intense romance between them; however, Akiko has some skeletons in her closet that might doom the couple forever.
The first half of the film is a slow-burn exploration of two traumatized individuals falling in love, while simultaneously unfolding a brewing mystery that includes several brutal murders. People in Tetsuro's life start dying, attacked viciously by someone wielding a baseball bat, and these incidents seem to be connected to Akiko, who conceals much of her life from him.
Akiko's estranged husband, Takimura (Chôei Takahashi), is a respected doctor who took a mistress and, to make matters worse, allowed her to stay in their house, which ultimately drove Akiko to madness. Takimura appears oblivious to the emotional distress his actions cause his wife, insisting that infidelity is not only common for men but also expected. Meanwhile, his mistress, Fumie, experiences her own turmoil as she is continually sidelined by Takimura's lingering affection for Akiko.
Water plays a big part in the thematic underpinnings of the narrative. Any time Akiko is upset, there is a torrential downpour outside. When Tetsuro first begins to interrogate Akiko about her past, there is the sound of a dripping faucet, indicating that that the flow of information and emotions has just started; as the film transitions into the final act, that trickle of water has become a flood, seeping into Tetsuro's dreams, with the water creeping higher and higher threatening to overcome and drown him. Roman Porno is infamous for the amount and intensity of the sex scenes, and Scent of a Spell doesn't pull any punches depicting the sweaty passion of the lovers. It differs in the way it uses sex for character development and as a way to visualize their feelings for each other. Modern critics often denounce sex in cinema as pointless, but this is a perfect example of how it can be used to further the plot without needing dialog or exposition.
Akiko says that the kanji in her name means "autumn child," which is an essential piece of foreshadowing. Autumn is a time when the vibrant life of summer is slowly dying, the once green and supple leaves on the trees brown and fall to the ground. Even in this period of death, there is beauty, the colors as the trees turn, the crisp chill in the air, and the way the leaves swirl in the wind. Akiko and Tetsuro have only but a moment to enjoy each other before winter comes to claim everything, and this brevity makes it all the more gorgeous and bittersweet.
Extras:
Matthew Carter’s video essay is an excellent piece that examines the history of Nikkatsu Roman Porno and how they differ from pinku films, how Roman Pornos influenced the Japanese film industry, as well as an analysis of the film itself. Samm Deighan’s commentary is incredibly fascinating and she covers a plethora of subjects to include: how Scent of a Spell fits into Japanese film overall, the history of Nikkatsu, sexuality depiction in pornography, the evolution of sex films, and how punk sensibilities influenced the younger artists in the Director’s Company. She covers quite a bit of related films as well, so it’s a great resource if one is new to this genre.
Blu-Ray Extras
• Interview with Tokyo Intl. Film Festival programming director Shozo Ichiyama
• Feature length audio commentary by Samm Deighan
• Video Essay by Matthew Carter
• Slipcase with artwork from Gokaiju
• ‘Directors Company’ edition featuring insert by Jasper Sharp – limited to 2000 copies
--Michelle Kisner