Synopsis for Michihito Fujii's Devil (Akuma): "Saeki moves to Tokyo to attend university and takes boarding in a quiet residential area. Living there too are Teruko, the teenage daughter of the home's owner, and their relative, Suzuki. Although still a high school student, Teruko displays a mature charm and an adult-like sex appeal. In private, Suzuki boasts to Saeki that he and Teruko are betrothed. Saeki, who is unable to fit in at school, indulges in alcohol and begins to suffer from hallucinations. Teruko begins to frequent Saeki's room frequently, which doesn't sit well with the Teruko-obsessed Suzuki. He warns Saeki to stay away from Teruko or suffer the consequences." Devil is the third entry in the three-movie Tanizaki Tribute, following Eiji Uchida's Kami to hito to no aida a.k.a. Between Men and the Gods ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uNfzT... ) and Atsushi Ueda's Fumiko no ashi a.k.a. Fumiko's Legs ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG5KvW... ).
Acting
Goki Maeda's simmering jealousy that never quite boils over.
Direction
Fujii's cramped framing turns rooms into pressure cookers.
Cinematography
Hazy alcohol-soaked hallucinations blur desire and madness.
Director
Michihito Fujii
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of a Tanizaki Junichiro tribute trilogy adapting his themes of perverse desire and feminine enigma to contemporary settings.
Director Fujii later broke through with The Journalist—this early work shows his fascination with power dynamics in confined spaces.
JP
