Mononoke the Movie: The Ashes of Rage (2024)

In the second episode of the Mononoke film trilogy, the mysterious ‘Medicine Seller’ has decided to hang around the women’s quarters of feudal Japan’s Edo Castle. One never knows. And indeed, one of the women appears to suffer from spontaneous combustion.

‘Appears’, because of course this is the work of another mononoke. Acting as a supernatural detective, our Medicine Seller again investigates, trying to discover the three things he needs to exorcise the mononoke with his magic sword: their shape, their truth and their reason. In other words: which category do they belong to (a karakasa in the previous episode, a hinezumi in this one), what are the causal circumstances, and which dark emotion motivates the mononoke? Empathy is the key here.

While the first episode centred on the importance of (romantic) friendship in the lower regions of the hierarchy, this episode concerns the value of pregnancy in the higher strata. Especially when the child has been conceived by the castle lord. What does that baby mean to the pregnant woman herself, compared to all the high-ranking families involved?

Although slightly calmer than episode one (with Kenji Nakamura here ‘chief director’ and Suzuki directing), The Ashes of Rage is still a hyper-surrealist dopamine rush on acid. Note also the representation of smells, spirits and even psychological states by abstract imagery: the colour of spinning shapes synaesthetically represents aromas and the white spirals on expressionless faces emphasise the obedience to authority of most harem residents.

This screening includes an exclusive teaser of the third movie in the series, which is to be released this year!

Melkweg often hosts different types of programmes at the same time, such as concerts, club nights and films. Please note that there may occasionally be some noise pollution from other programmes during the screening.