The four principals in a love affair collide when jealousy, blackmail and suicide enter the picture.
Cinematography
Spinning ceiling shots that literally make you dizzy with desire.
Acting
Ayako Wakao's eyes — weaponized vulnerability in every frame.
Direction
Masumura crams four people into rooms that feel like traps.
Director
Yasuzō Masumura
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Adapted from Tanizaki Junichiro's 1933 novel, itself inspired by Edgar Allan Poe — Japan's 'ero-guro-nansensu' (erotic grotesque nonsense) tradition in full bloom.
The 'manji' title refers to the Buddhist swastika symbol — representing eternal cycles, which the film's structure mirrors as relationships rotate and collapse.
JP
