Toshio Matsumoto's final film as a director, Dogra Magra is a truly enigmatic psychological drama that needs to be seen to be believed. Based on Yumeno Kyusaku's renowned novel, Matsumoto himself described the story as a “pluralistic antinovel”—a work that invites, even demands, multiple interpretations. Adapting it for the screen presented a unique challenge, and the resulting film is a spellbinding, often perplexing exploration into outlandish psychological theories. It's as challenging as it is fascinating.
The film follows Ichiro Kure (Yoji Matsuda), a young man who awakens in a mental institution with no memory of who he is or why he's there. Two doctors appear, and theorize that Ichiro is the descendant of a Chinese artist who murdered his wife and painted her body in increasing states of decomposition, suggesting Ichiro may have repeated the crime with his own fiancée. What ensues is a psychological battle of wills between the two doctors, each striving to impose his version of reality on Ichiro.
The first thing to say about Dogra Magra is that it's a beautifully crafted film. Matsumoto's use of lighting and shot composition is a breathtaking accomplishment. In this new restoration by Radiance Films, every frame is stunningly clear, highlighting Tatsuo Suzuki's striking, highly stylized cinematography. The colour palette shifts from warm tones to stark black-and-white, creating a dynamic visual language that feels both timeless and modern.
Matsumoto also deserves praise for refusing to spoon-feed his audience. While the film contains significant exposition, it quickly becomes apparent that nothing is what it seems, as reality and delusion merge together. The narrative is so labyrinthine, and so thematically dense, (with two unreliable narrators) that it may require a few watches to parse the meaning of the film. A spiritual successor to something like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Matsumoto creates a similar sense of unease around psychology, delving into Jungian and Freudian themes with abandon, and featuring morally dubious authority figures and a disorienting, cyclical timeline. It also includes one of the most shocking jump scares I've ever seen. Largely because this is not a film where you expect a jump scare!
The film's narrative confusion is exacerbated through Matsumoto's unconventional stylistic choices. His technique of showing flashbacks by simply panning across the room, allowing the timelines to bleed together, is reminiscent of Theo Angelopoulos, or John Sayles' Lone Star. It's subtle and effective, but creates an extra layer of disorientation and confusion that doesn't feel entirely intentional.
Through it all though, Matsumoto's inventive, playful visuals shine through. The shifting media, from puppet slideshows to black-and-white stills, infuse the film with an ethereal dreamlike quality, which reaches near hysteria as it reaches the climax. The film's influence can be seen in the psychologically untethered protagonists of Shutter Island and David Cronenberg's Spider, while visually and thematically there is a clear link with Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure – especially in the sparsely shot hospital scenes, and the use of hard cuts and disturbing imagery.
In terms of performances, Shijaku Katsura's over-the-top Professor Masaki is a standout, his blunt and cheerful demeanour providing a chaotic counterpoint to the rigid formality of Professor Wakabayashi (Hideo Moruta). Moruta himself is a great anchor for all the outlandish events in the film, at least until his own trustworthiness and sanity is called into question. As the nominal hero, Yoji Matsuda is a bit of a cypher, but that's the nature of the role – he's an ambiguous character, and Matsuda plays him with a palpable confusion and disbelief. Most importantly, he makes a likeable audience identification figure, making the final sequence all the more shocking.
Now available outside Japan for the first time, Dogra Magra is a confounding, but rewarding treat. An abstract, cerebral film, and utterly bonkers, it's undoubtedly a work of vaulting ambition. The dense dialogue and non-linear narrative can make for a challenging viewing experience, but Dogra Magra remains a singular artefact of avant-garde cinema. Sometimes impenetrable, but always mesmerizing.
- Audio commentary by director Toshio Matsumoto
- An interview with Matsumoto filmed in 2003
- A visual essay on Tatsuo Suzuki's cinematography of by Julian Ross
- A featurette on Ahodara Sutra by street performer Hiroshi Sakano
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Hirofumi Sakamoto, president of the Postwar Japan Moving Image Archive and author Jasper Sharp on screenwriter Atsushi Yamatoya plus an interview with producer Shuji Shibata and Matsumoto's director's statement
Dogra Magra is released on October 28th