Edgar Allan Poe’s famous story has the titular character getting its revenge at the end of the story. KURONEKO (black cat in Japanese), the second of director Kaneto Shindo’s two great stylized horror films (after ONIBABA), has not one but two characters getting revenge not once but many times. A mother and her daughter-in-law are raped and murdered by a roaming band of samurai and then their house is burned to the ground. A black cat, who survives the fire, becomes the instrument of their revenge by being transformed into spirit likenesses of the dead women. Having sworn vengeance on all samurai, they then lure any who cross their path to a secluded grove where they seduce and then savagely murder them. The core of the story arises when an acclaimed samurai warrior, sent to destroy the evil spirits, turns out to be the son to one and husband to the other.
As he did in ONIBABA, director-screenwriter Shindo incorporates pungent social observation into Japanese myth especially on how women are treated and on the glorification of samurai culture. The helpless, victimized women of the opening are transformed into powerful, avenging agents of destruction while the samurai are depicted as proud, lustful, and stupid with the exception of the son who has issues of his own. Will he destroy the spirits of his mother and wife? Can they bring themselves to destroy him as they have sworn to do? These questions and others make KUROKENO food for thought as you watch one of the most beautifully stylized films that Japan has to offer. The black and white photography is crisp and vivid, the soundtrack is atmospheric and captivating, and the performances by the three principals are outstanding. If you enjoy Japanese cinema, then KUROKENO is a must see.
The Capsule Critic 