Heroic Purgatory is a 1970 experimental film directed by Japanese filmmaker Yoshishige Yoshida. The movie is known for its complex narrative structure, nonlinear storytelling, and surreal visuals.
The film follows the story of Rikiya Shoda, an engineer working for the Atomic Agency in Japan. Rikiya's quiet life is disrupted when his wife Nanako brings home a lost teenager named Ayu. Ayu claims that Rikiya and Nanako are her parents, but a man pretending to be Ayu's father comes to take her back. Rikiya's memories of his youth as a revolutionary are triggered by this disturbance, and he begins to question his present life.
The movie uses dreamlike sequences, flashbacks, and fragmented storytelling to create a sense of disorientation for the viewer. The characters and their relationships are ambiguous, and the plot is intentionally difficult to follow. The film is also known for its cinematic techniques, such as the use of deep focus, multiple exposures, and slow-motion.
Heroic Purgatory is considered a masterpiece of Japanese New Wave cinema, and it influenced many filmmakers in Japan and abroad. The movie is a meditation on memory, identity, and personal responsibility, and it reflects the political and social upheavals of post-war Japan.