Rating: 3.5/5
As poor Oiwa finds no peace even in death, what fate awaits Iemon, tormented by his conscience, and Naosuke, the incarnation of evil?
In Part I, Iemon poisoned Oiwa and killed Kohei for telling her. Iemon did not intend to poison Oiwa, but Naosuke mixed a poison into a burn ointment for when Oiwa burned her face. After learning this, Iemon slips the poison into her tea to put her out of her misery.
Now that they are out of the picture, Iemon is free to marry Ouma, the daughter of a rich rice merchant, and receive a stable position from her father.
The film begins with Osode answering the door and opening by itself. Yomoshichi takes a lantern to see who is there. All he sees is the darkness outside.
Osode visits her sister, but a neighbor tells her the house is empty. He heard a rumor that Oiwa ran off with a lover. Osode doesn’t believe it.
Some farmers nearby see blood on a door sitting in the grass. They throw it into the river.
Okura looks for her son, Kohei. She sees the door in the river. It spins around on its own accord before floating downstream.
Meanwhile, Iemon has nightmares, haunted by what happened. Naosuke continues his plot, blackmailing Iemon for a substantial sum of money.
Yomoshichi and Osode ask around and find out that Iemon is marrying Ouma. Something is going on. They’re going to find out what.
I wasn’t planning on watching Part II so soon after Part I, but I could tell I would lose the plot and the emotional resonance if I waited. Also, after the recap at the beginning, this movie is an hour long.
The filmmakers did not intend it to be in two parts — it is one continuous story. I’ve read this was a common practice for pre-war era Japanese studios when the movie was longer than 90 minutes.
Although the beginning was elegant in setting up the downfall, this feels slightly messy. I still like how it all happens — it’s just that the movie has several plotlines to address.
Still, the ending hits.