MOVIE REVIEW : ‘Shinran’ Gets Lost on the Path to Purity

In the early part of the 13th Century in Japan, warring clans turned the country into a bloody playing field. Ritual execution was the order of the day, and expulsion to the far reaches of the empire--to endure extremes of weather on barely fertile land--was the height of mercy.

It’s not surprising that such a turbulent era should also nurture a time of spiritual enlightenment. “Shinran: The Path to Purity” (Little Tokyo) attempts to detail the epic physical and emotional journey of the title Buddhist priest, who founded that religion’s Shinshu sect.

First-time director Renaro Mikuni demonstrates extraordinary skill at mounting such a lavish undertaking. However, the subtleties of his complex story line remain largely unfathomable. This is not simply due to an outsider’s limited knowledge; it’s because of the film’s ever-changing perspective.

The film opens at a time of great upheaval. Samurai are taking power by force and virtually eliminating the activities of religious sects. In light of the situation, those wishing to keep their heads choose flight as the better part of valor.

Shinran (Junkyu Moriyama), who instituted marriage among the priesthood, takes his family through a series of living hells. They experience blizzards, droughts, disease and death, in addition to such man-made horrors as burning villages, murder and rape. Essentially, despite the hardships, his message is one of inner strength and fortitude against the violence of life. It is directed toward the poor, and historically is the basis of the country’s first religion of the masses.

The stark contrast between Shinran’s stoical conviction and the turbulence around him are the film’s chief dramatic assets. But Mikuni falters badly in attempting to weave in the intricate, precarious nature of 13th-Century social order. Unlike Kurosawa’s fictionalized histories, we are confronted here with the factual details of many rival factions and cabals within regimes--sociological knots more difficult to unravel.

“Shinran: the Path to Purity” attempts to be many movies. But the film’s essential bias is contemplative, and this fact merges badly with the necessities of dramatic film making.