Kuroi kawa

In a run-down neighborhood just beyond the gates of an American military base, black market dealings, corruption and prostitution thrive, and criminals call the shots. Amid these precarious living conditions, a tender bond begins to form between Nishida (Fumio Watanabe), an upstanding college student who has just moved to the area, and the young Shizuko (Ineko Arima) – until a yakuza called Joe forces her into a relationship with him from which she is unable to extricate herself. The balance of power shifts during Joe’s birthday party, when Shizuko decides to perform the role of the ruthless gangster’s girlfriend for one night only, giving a brilliant performance as she pursues her own agenda. This early Ninjin Club production is unsettling due to its graphic depiction of violence against women – despite, or perhaps precisely because of, its unmistakable indictment of the systematic emotional, social and material oppression of women in Japan immediately following the war. (mg)