Film Review - The Shape of Night (1964)

Post-war Japan was an intriguing period for the nation as a whole. It wasn’t until after the Allied occupation ended on 28 April 1952 that Japan was able to emerge as the global economic power we know today. However, from the late ’50s until the early ’70s, Japan experienced the Japanese New Wave in cinema—an era characterized by politically driven and risk-taking filmmaking. This period brought to the forefront films that challenged conventions and norms. I mention this aspect of Japanese cinema history because The Shape of Night could be described as an anti-film.

According to the blurb found on the Blu-ray packaging, this film was made in reaction to the new wave films, and you can feel that from the opening moments. The film, from beginning to end, features sex; however, the sex scenes are never exploitative. There is a scene where sexual violence occurs, and before the horrific act takes place, the door closes, hiding the violence behind a barrier, separating the audience and our co-lead from the events. This allows the horror to sink in and be gut-punching without being shocking and disgusting.

It allows the story to remain front and center, and you are never pulled out of the narrative to witness a grotesque sex scene, which is surprising given the subject matter. “The Shape of Night” follows our lead, Yoshie Nogami, who works at a factory during the day and at night is a hostess at a bar. While working at the bar, she begins to fall for a regular customer. However, when the regular starts asking Yoshie for money, it leads her down a dark path that drastically changes her life forever.

The strongest aspect of the film is the acting. Miyuki Kuwano is flawless as Yoshie Nogami. Her facial expressions convey so much of her character’s emotions without the need for dialogue. Observing her face as she slowly comes to realize that the person she thought she loved was merely using her for his gain is poignant. There’s a moment where she encounters a friend from her youth, and witnessing her realization of the life that was taken away from her is gut-wrenching.

What shocked me was how incredible the cinematography was. The film features many striking shots that utilize the aspect ratio to its full advantage. In addition, effectively using the entire frame, the use of colour also just pops out from the screen.

However, I will it this film was a lot. It’s a hard watch. While it’s great, I feel this film fits into the category of one-and-done. It’s an important one, but similar to films like Han Gong-Ju, I won’t be rushing back for seconds. Which is not a bad thing, but an aspect worth mentioning.

Radiance Films did a great job with this release. The Blu-ray is visually and audibly gorgeous, and while it doesn’t feature a ton of bonus features, it includes some that are very interesting. If what I said sounds interesting to you, I feel the film is worth picking up.