Whispering of the Gods (The)
- Director: Tatsushi Ômori
- Writer: Mangetsu Hanamura; Yoshio Urasawa
- Producer: Genjiro Arato; Shinichiro Muraoka
CGiii Comment
A grubby seminary with grubby, sanctimonious, child-abusing priests - in Japan. This is what becomes of those abused...it is not a pretty picture.
The cruelty on show is unbearable.
This is a cold, stark reality that offers absolutely no hope whatsoever.
The pace is excruciatingly slow and the dialogue is sparse - it is atmospheric...but, it is not an atmosphere that you would want to inhabit for any length of time.
That's the problem with the film - it is so uncomfortable to watch that getting to the end will almost prove impossible for most - those that manage...will feel unjustifiably exhausted and deflated.
Not a pretty picture...but, an effective one.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
Rou returns to the rural seminary farm where he studied as a boy and was molested by priests. Rou has recently had a history of violence, and he brings this anger to the seminary, triggering a series of atrocities within the seemingly peaceful retreat - indeed, much of Whispering consists of sequences of sexual perversion that allow mori to comment on the cycle of abuse and how the distortion of sexuality and spirituality can create hell on earth.
Cast & Characters
Hirofumi Arai as Rou;
Reona Hirota as Sister Theresa;
Megumi Sawara as Kyoko;
Keita Kimura as Toru;
Nao Ohmori as Ukawa;
Genta Dairaku as Scout Master;
Masashi Yamamoto as Brother Akabane;
Akifumi Miura as Arakawa;
Akaji Maro as Shopkeeper;
Renji Ishibashi as Komiya