Dogra Magra

Toshio Matsumoto may stand as one of Japan’s most prolific creators, responsible for dozens of experimental shorts, theatrical plays, and radio performances. When he ventured into feature films, it was always for something tectonic. While his trans tragedy Funeral Parade of Roses may be his most famous work, it might be his final feature – anti-mystery Dogra Magra – that is his defining and most difficult work. Adapting one of the Sandaikisho (the “Three Great Occult Books” of Japanese prewar literature), Matsumoto drags you into a realm of metaphysical terror and Jungian symbolism. – Richard Whittaker