The Lower Depths

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Harry P Nov 13, 2018 This film was almost good.

Draco W Mar 22, 2017 Through various points of the film, Kurosawa thrives on triple-strata action, photographing three layers of story at once, a boldly effective maneuver. One of these is Grandpa attending to the dying lady while her abusive husband gambles with another and behind them is a bigger gambling game. The film is constantly moving, never fading or cutting to another scene, but rather keeping afloat by introducing a new character or plot element. The energy maintains through various dry comical bits, like Grandpa singling, or the crazy dancing guy getting booted by the land lady. Grandpa acts as an angel, seems like he's here to shakabuku. His abrupt exit is surprising, and may hurt our faith, despite attempts by some to at least acknowledge he was a sweet person. But that was compensation for having little else to offer. A one setting film that reads more like a stage play, but Kurosawa manages to make it work cinematically through hundreds of camera setups. Osen the whore is having an emotional arc, expressing herself, and the samurai considers it a perfectly good way of passing time. That about sums up life in the lower depths. It's a very interesting form, getting invested with one set of characters, but then another set that's lingered in the background take over. We see what the main characters left behind. There doesn't seem to be anything terribly poignant about it, but we're not used to seeing this in a movie. It's not as relevant as Ikiru, when the results of what Shimura's death represented are played out. The ending is a shocking reversal, interrupting a very funny drunken song and dance number - there's nothing like a laugh before a shock. Osen has run away threatening to kill herself, soon followed by the drunk actor who is ready to follow up on Grandpa's promise of a curing temple. But he's not fled there, and Osen has not killed herself, rather backing into her old domicile after seeing it's the actor who's hung himself. I can honestly say I didn't see it coming. We never really get what happens to the main set of characters, and the film abruptly ends on the word "bastard," talking about the actor, who was a supporting character at best throughout. See more

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The Lower Depths

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