Dojoji Temple

Colour, 35 mm
Japan, 1976, 19 min
Section: Tribute to Kihachiro Kawamoto

Synopsis

An elderly monk and his young eager acolyte travel along a road crowded with pilgrims toward a famous temple. As evening approaches they find lodging at a young widow’s; she falls passionately in love with the young man. He can only resist her charms by lying, saying that he will return after completing the pilgrimage. The widow, however, sees through his words, and during a frenzied chase she turns into a giant serpent, the symbol of jealousy, capable of trampling any obstacle. To escape the fury, the monks at the temple decide to hide him underneath a bell. But there’s no refuge from her burning passion.... A masterful and aesthetically sophisticated work from 1976.