Thirst For Love (1966)

 Koreyoshi Kurahara's "Thirst For Love"


There are certain stories that center on a rich, lustful woman desirous of a lower-class fellow in which the themes illustrate economic divides. Koreyshoi Kurahara's adaptation of Yukio Mishima's 1950 novel "Thirst For Love" takes this concept to its extreme. 1966's "Thirst For Love" is a delirious and erotic film that captures the voluptuous turmoil of Mishima's novel while also standing out as a centerpiece of Kurahara's filmography. 

The film centers on Yakichi, a young widow who becomes the mistress of her wealthy father-in-law. She begins to have sexual desires for their family gardener, Saburo. After Saburo gets into a relationship with the maid, Yakichi drives them towards a tragic breakup. Eventually, Yakichi's feelings erupts - causing tragic consequences. 

Yakichi feels trapped by her father-in-law's grasps due to his economic means. Her lusting after the servant boy is merely a representation of her desires to escape this grasp. However, by the film's end, it was never about the servant boy - it was merely about the binding, unwanting structures that economics causes.



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