A hidden gem from Japan that was finally available in the West a year or so ago. At nearly three hours, it is a very slow burn, but once the set-up of its tradition versus progress ideas is completed, it slowly becomes a great film, set in a beautiful shot area of Japanese wilderness, and portrays its issues in multiple and interesting ways. Seeing it will show another side of Japanese cinema to you as a viewer and how good it can be.

Shohei Imamura's mammoth portrait of life on an isolated Japanese island, focusing on a family who believe themselves cursed and an engineer who comes to help develop the island, but finds himself drawn into the madness. Death, incest, shamanism, and folklore all factor into the mix, and while it's overlong and often repetitive (with an iffy coda), it boasts fine acting (especially Hideko Okiyama as the retarded daughter), gorgeous cinematography, and portrays a genuinely fascinating world.

Unlike so much I've watched recently, the final act not only delivers, but it is the strongest of the whole (though I'm already reconsidering my misgivings of some early sections). I can only see a repeated viewing improving my opinion.

A rare breed of film, where the technical prowess ensures the idiosyncratic content is smooth and accessible. Like your psychonaut work buddy who's still able to work harder than everyone else. A true creation.