Himatsuri (1985): Fire Festival
How does one classify this? Existential horror, maybe. This is one of those films that leaves you with nothing but silence in your mind; you’ve seen so much, thought and experienced so much that you’re left in a state of shock, trying to piece together a meaning.
The director Mitsuo Yanagimachi has indeed created a New Wave masterpiece (as the poster suggests), but in what sense? This was released in 1985 after some 15 years of the wild and rebellious 1960s Japanese New Wave. On the surface, it might not seem that rebellious, but it carries those ideas at heart, gives them a new representation, and brings them up-to-date with the times. For that reason, this never feels dated, it captures the conflicted spirit of the zeitgeist.
From the opening credits, the tone is set with a haunting soundtrack from the legendary Tôru Takemitsu, known for his work on Akira Kurosawa’s Ran (1985), his many classic collaborations with Hiroshi Teshigahara (Woman in the Dunes (1964), The Face of Another (1966)), and many more others with various New Wave Directors (Masahiro Shinoda, Nagisa Oshima). It’s important to give context to this film and this soundtrack. It’s vital to the film. We see nature, we see couples making love, but this music carries a dark undertone that is also present in the film’s story.
Coupled with a dark background and flames, this intro gives off a chilling feeling, as if something very dark beneath these layers is brewing, and as the film unfolds and we peel off these layers, this darkness becomes more and more apparent.
The cinematography is simply sublime. It’s effective in adding to the haunting atmosphere, but it also gives a sense of awe and respect to nature. I don’t think there’s a need to talk about it extensively because it’s done by Masaki Tamura (Tampopo (1985), The Crazy Family (1984), Eureka (2000), Ryoma Ansatsu (1974)).
Now for the story, it is not so easy to explain it or give a synopsis because most of the film’s substance is in the unseen and the unspoken. It is in the loud silences and blinding darkness. It can be best described as a story of conflict between man and nature, but it’s not that simple. The film doesn’t take the clichéd road of “man is destroying nature”, instead it tries and succeeds in transcending that. The first sequence of woodmen felling trees, breaking the silence with their electric saws, does indeed show this conflict, but the picture as a whole, with its ending, tells a different story.
From the film’s title, we can tell that it is deeply rooted in Shintoism, Japan’s ancient religion. On one level, it’s depicting the relationship between man and nature, but there’s also another transcendental element. There’s always this haunting presence looming above our characters. It may be the gods or nature. Maybe they are the same thing. This presence haunts our main character, Tatsuo, or more specifically, flirts back and forth with him. It also transcends humans in many ways; human conflict means nothing to it. For example, the hatred between the mountain people and the sea people plays a role here, as both feel a belonging to their respective environment and they reject outsiders, but this conflict is insignificant to the “Gods.” The director and writer even tackle themes of homosexuality and homoeroticism, adding yet another layer of depth. There are so many scenes, especially towards the end, that take all these cinematic tools (the soundtrack, cinematography, directing), combine them to create truly transcendental moments.
The ending only solidifies all of the above and gives it meaning and context. It’s quite an unusual ending. It gives answers, but it’s not a simple conclusion. Even if it was spoiled for you, that won’t affect the experience. It will remain shocking even if you know what’s going to happen.
There’s so much here to analyse and dissect, this film requires a lot of time and many re-watches so it can be absorbed. That enigmatic ending, that haunting silence, just drew me to explore this even more. It’s unbelievable that this film is virtually unknown; so few people talk about it. It deserves a serious analysis. Even if someone doesn’t enjoy this, I’m sure they’ll keep thinking about it and it will haunt their thoughts for a long time.
