Director: Toshiharu Ikeda
Screenplay: Takuya Nishioka
Based on a Manga by: Kazuhiko Miyaya
Starring: Mari Shirato, Jun Eto, Kentarô Shimizu, Seiji Miyaguchi, Yoshirô Aoki
Country: Japan
Running Time: 110 min
Year: 1984
BBFC: 18

Mermaid Legend was director Toshiharu Ikeda’s first film made with The Directors Company, an organisation set up by a group of Japanese directors in 1982 to allow them to be able to make the films they wanted on their own terms (please see my review of Door and Door 2 for a more detailed description). Mermaid Legend was also the company’s first full feature-length production, after testing the waters with a few titles hovering around the 60-minute mark. Whilst Mermaid Legend performed quite poorly at the Japanese box office on release, it was very well received, helping legitimise the company’s manifesto.

Third Window Films, who have released a number of titles from the Directors Company these past couple of years, are releasing Mermaid Legend on Blu-ray, as part of their latest wave of titles. I got hold of a copy and my thoughts follow.

The film, which is loosely based on a manga by Kazuhiko Miyaya, tells the story of Migiwa Saeki (Mari Shirato), a pearl diver whose fisherman husband Keisuke (Jun Etô) witnesses what he believes is a murder, whilst out on his boat one night. Nobody believes him but, soon after, Keisuke is also murdered and Migiwa is left for dead on the scene.

Migiwa survives though and is forced to hide on nearby Watakano island after she discovers that she is presumed to be her husband’s killer.

Shouhei Miyamoto (Kentarô Shimizu), a friend of the pair, helps Migiwa. However, he knows that his father (Yoshirô Aoki), a corrupt land developer, was the one who hired the criminals to carry out the murders. Will he tell Migiwa and can she trust him?

This all leads to Migiwa embarking on a bloody quest to bring down those responsible for her husband’s death.

I’ve been impressed with all the Directors Company films I’ve seen so far and Mermaid Legend maintains that high quality. It also maintains the bold and unique approach to filmmaking that those titles have all shared, blending cinematic artistry with audience-friendly tropes.

Mermaid Legend, in a way, separates these approaches into two distinct portions of the film, with a jaw-dropping shift in tone about two-thirds of the way through. What starts out as an intimate, subtle, realist drama and throws in some Roman porno in the mid-section, becomes a wildly violent, blood-soaked revenge movie for its final act.

Some might not appreciate the ‘game of two halves’ nature of Mermaid Legend but I think it’s all part of the charm. Plus, both sides of the film’s ‘personality’, if you will, are strong and the transition is implemented effectively.

The first half is sensitively handled, with a blend of naturalistic drama and moody atmospherics, the latter of which are most notable in the underwater scenes. The score, by jazz musician Toshiyuki Honda, is gorgeous and greatly aids the melancholic, dream-like tone. The film won awards for its cinematography too, likely aided by its wonderful underwater photography.

A relatively graphic sex scene (bar the customary hiding of the pubic region) in the middle of the film hints at the change in tone and then a rape scene properly triggers the explosion of violence to come. The final portion is then viscerally presented in a messy, blood-soaked fashion that, whilst gleefully over-the-top, remains disturbingly realistic in its chaotic orchestration.

It’s a testament to director Toshiharu Ikeda’s skill that he’s able to pull off both sides and make them work as one film. In 2010, the director was sadly found dead, presumed by suicide, at Shima, where Mermaid Legend was shot. So the film seems to have been very important to him, right through to the end of his tragically short life (he was only 59 when he died).

The film was made just before the bubble economy took shape in Japan and, through its cynical view of the cutthroat nature of business in the country, Mermaid Legend reflects people’s worries about the rapid modernisation and commercialisation that was taking place.

Overall, Mermaid Legend is a dream-like revenge movie that blends melancholic drama with a rich atmosphere and bursts of extreme violence. It’s a unique gem that I hope will get rediscovered, following this release.

Film:

Mermaid Legend is out on 17th February on region-free Blu-ray, released by Third Window Films as part of their Director’s Company collection. The transfer is impressive, with lovely natural-looking textures and colours. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks, though these have been compressed. I had no issues with the audio.

There are several special features included on the disc:

• Interview with writer Takuya Nishioka
• Feature length audio commentary by Jasper Sharp and Tom Mes
• Video Essay on Toshiyuki Honda by James Balmont
• Trailer
• Slipcase with artwork from Gokaiju
• ‘Directors Company’ edition featuring insert by Jasper Sharp – limited to 2000 copies

Japanese cinema experts Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp recorded a commentary together for the film. They’re both incredibly knowledgeable on the subject, providing deep contextual analysis. It’s a fascinating listen for anyone interested in Japanese cinema.

James Balmont talks about the music of Toshiyuki Honda, who scored the film. It’s a well-researched piece which will appeal to soundtrack and jazz aficionados. It even includes a link to a Spotify playlist of some of the composer’s music, which I appreciated a great deal.

Writer Takuya Nishioka is also interviewed. This is an enjoyable piece, as he describes his introduction to the industry and is honest about some difficulties he had working with director Toshiharu Ikeda and Shinji Sômai, who he’d also written a script for. Nishioka also has a few fun anecdotes to tell.

So, Third Window have compiled a strong selection of varied extras to accompany this excellent film. Highly recommended.

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Mermaid Legend - Third Window
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About The Author

Editor of films and videos as well as of this site. On top of his passion for film, he also has a great love for music and his family.

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