Shindo takes on the classic Natsume Sōseki novel and makes a very different film than Kon Ichikawa did in 1955. He sets the story in modern times (1973) and entirely eschews the post-trauma 'Sensei'-student relationship in favor of telling the tale that led to the destruction of Sensei's soul. Even then, he takes great liberties with the material, offering up potent visual metaphors to depict the novel's themes of struggle, self-control, betrayal, and the distance between all of us. The result is, surprisingly, more profound than Ichikawa's faithful adaptation, and another heartbreaking, deeply thoughtful triumph in the oeuvre of this unsung master of cinema.
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