Sada (1998) - full transcript
Based upon the case of Sada Abe, who on May 17 1936 killed and emasculated her lover. These events took place during a period of war, economic depression, public unease and growing militarism, a time of unrest and confusion when public opinion was, at best, unpredictable. Sada, condemned by the law, found herself lionized by the press and hailed as a 'saint' of love. Because she committed murder out of passion, the purity of her motivation elevated her from the status of criminal to that of popular heroine.
Produced by
SHOCHI KU DAI-ICHI KOGYO CO., LTD.
In Cooperation with PSC
Directed by
NOBUHI KO OBAYASHI
How do you do?
I'm Takiguchi,
one of this film's characters.
This is the story of a woman
who calls me "Brother."
Her name? It's Sada.
Yes. That famous Sada. Sada Abe.
She insists on telling you
about herself.
Facts can easily become fiction
when recounted by someone
even by oneself.
But with a bit of sincerity,
lies can become truth.
So, why not enjoy yourselves
this evening
by listening to Sada's story?
She's like a lovable kid sister to me.
I apologize for her rudeness.
I'd appreciate your generosity.
I'll see you again later.
Excuse me.
Step aside!
SADA ABE
Executive Producer
HISAO NABESHI MA
Written by
YUKO NISHIZAWA
Producer
KYOKO OBAYASHI
Photography
NORITAKA SAKAMOTO
Art Director
KOICHI TAKEUCHI
Set Decorator
KOICHI HAMAMURA
Music
SOTARO MANABU
The Players:
HITOMI KUROKI
KI PPEl SHII NA
KYUSAKU SHI MADA
BENGAL
RENJI ISHI BASHI
MIYOKO AKAZA,
TOSHI E NEGISHI, WAKABA I RI E
JI RO SAKAGAMI
EMI KO AZUMA, HISASHI IGAWA
RYO AMAMIYA
RI KI TAKEUCHI
KEIJ U KOBAYASHI
NORI HEl MI KI
TSURUTARO KATAOKA
Screenplay, Editing and Direction by
NOBUHI KO OBAYASHI
"'It starts to rain while I'm playing.
It rains outside my lattice window.'
A literary fragment
by Chuya Nakahara."
"Sada Abe really lived.
She is well known
because she sliced off
her man's sexual organ.
But of course, her life cannot be told
only through that episode."
I, too, had a childhood.
But let's forget about that.
EARLY SUMMER 1913
Either way,
maybe I lived thinking of myself
as neither happy nor unhappy.
But in any case, I hated rainy days.
My story begins here.
SUMMER 1919
Open up. Please!
I have a question!
How many times must I repeat this?
I won't leave until you answer!
Yes?
You a maid?
As you can see.
I must talk to your mistress!
She's home.
I saw her just now.
Listen. Tell me!
Her son, a college boy,
dragged my daughter into an inn!
Do something!
If worst comes to worst, she'll die.
She's just a schoolgirl.
She's only 14.
You hear me, eh?
She's only 14!
You think you can deceive us like this?
Because she's a merchant's daughter,
you think she isn't human?
Being here with a man
means you know what happens.
Okay?
Stop.
It's too late to stop.
I'm scared.
Silly. This isn't the first time
for you, eh?
It is.
Liar! You're well-known among us.
At your age you already have a man.
That's not true!
I'll make it true.
No!
That hurts!
That hurts!
Who are you?
How rude to barge into my room.
Toshihiko.
Aren't you the one who's being rude?
You Okada?
She needs treatment.
- Call a doc.
- Don't do that.
It'll cause trouble.
I have money.
Use this to take care of it.
We're friends, right?
I don't like weepy women.
Take it easy.
I'm a medical student.
I'll treat you.
This is my aunt's place.
Stay here.
Please.
Stay by me.
You're bleeding.
It's all right now.
Rest for a while.
Stay here.
Stay here, please.
If you leave me,
I'll kill myself with this.
I don't want to be left alone.
Look at my blood.
It's scarlet.
Look at that.
I'll bleed even more.
I bought these for my aunt.
Have one.
Eat it.
It's sweet.
FATAL DISEASE
How odd!
Raining on a lucky day.
A lucky day?
You're here.
You don't have to talk.
Just stay by my side.
I've never met anyone like you.
I detest him.
Not you.
That student.
To think how he tricked me.
I can't get married now.
Will you marry me?
Sorry, I can't.
Then die with me.
Die?
Yes. Double suicide.
Listen.
Why do you wear dark glasses
all the time?
I know you have lovely eyes.
Why hide them?
Sada.
You should know this:
Though we just met,
we mustn't meet again.
Why not?
Tell me.
Why not?
I won't tell you.
Tell me!
You're nice.
An honest girl.
Don't go astray
just because of this.
Wherever I am,
I'll watch over you in my heart.
We'll say good-bye here.
Find happiness.
No! You're lying!
You don't care about me at all!
Watch over me in your heart?
Where is the heart, really?
You're right.
Even X-rays can't show where it is.
Use this and cut out my heart.
Do like this.
Look.
This is my heart.
It's yours.
Take it with you.
The knife too.
Then you can believe
you took my heart yourself.
Blood gushes
from my heart too.
Now let's part here.
I'll be going far away.
I'll never
come back again.
Good-bye.
I hate rainy days.
Hansen's disease.
Okada suffered from it.
It was regarded as incurable.
Its patients were isolated.
Okada was secretly sent away
to a remote island,
and Sada never knew.
Okada lived during Sada's lifetime,
but did they meet and part like this?
Sada spoke little about it,
and no one actually knows.
This film trespasses
in the mysterious realm of Sada.
Are you going
to sell those kimonos again?
Yes.
What's wrong with selling mine?
Now you're just quibbling.
You quit school.
You're a truant.
Your dad says
he might make you a geisha.
Really? Why not?
How can I ignore my dad?
Stop asking that student to marry me.
He'll never marry me.
I'll have a miserable life!
But we must make him pay
for what he did
to our precious daughter.
It's me he did it to.
Don't try to sell my virginity to him.
That's so lowdown.
Then what am I to do?
He said you made eyes at him.
Like this?
Money isn't the issue.
We should've made him
apologize in public.
Don't you agree?
But what's done is done.
I can't regain my virginity anyway.
Sada.
Tell Dad I'll be glad to be
a geisha or anything.
Out of my way!
I was still the person
I had always been,
but perhaps the world
saw me differently now.
Anyway, it didn't really concern me.
I could be more at ease than before.
In a way, I was enjoying myself.
- Wait!
- Run!
Two cops against the seven of us.
They'll never get us.
Try to get us!
Hey, wait!
Only idiots wait for cops!
Try to get us!
Let's go!
Wait!
Wait!
That student looked rich,
but he was broke.
Let's blackmail
rich old men next time.
Where are you, Okada?
Did you run away?
Cops!
Which way?
That way!
Wait!
Run! Sada, run!
Get away!
My childhood was over
before I even knew it.
I never thought of you as this sexy.
Sexy?
You've matured.
Your dad told me.
A lot has happened, eh?
Your brother left home
with a woman.
Your dad had a big tatami shop,
but he closed it to pay debts.
Anything can happen in life.
Business is slow in Japan.
Recession is everywhere.
But there's no recession
where you're going to work.
Men can't resist
as long as they have money.
A geisha's job is
to sell her art, right?
Yes. "Art."
A very feminine art.
Can she play the samisen?
She doesn't just play music, ma'am.
She dances well too. Right?
Then play this.
Play anything you like.
All right?
"Cat" is slang for geisha
They call me cat
But do you think a cat comes
wearing clogs and kimono
THE GREAT EARTHQUAKE OF 1923
My mind is elsewhere.
Only my body is hot.
An endless stream of men came and went,
and endless days as well.
SUMMER 1929
It's been 10 years.
I've moved all over Japan.
I've used aliases.
Geishas sell their bodies too,
so why not just be a whore instead?
I felt more at ease that way.
I don't dislike this racket,
and I get to choose my clients too.
Miyako,
there's a client for you.
A client at this hour?
All right.
Why, it's you, Brother!
I heard you were ill,
so I came to see you.
Thank you for coming all this way.
This racket and this illness
go together.
There's an offer for you.
Why not work at Kusatsu spa?
It'll cure your illness.
I know.
That's what you came for.
You'll make more money off me.
Otherwise, you wouldn't have come
all the way to Osaka to see me.
You're a real professional now.
Meaning?
Do I look so sexy?
You've always been sexy
and a straight talker.
Doesn't it bother your clients?
I'm amazed.
Why not become one of them?
Silly!
You're like my sister.
You want to lay me
as long as it's free, huh?
Your face says so.
I'm old enough to see that.
It's my long experience.
Sonomaru, a client.
- A client?
- Yes.
He says it won't take long.
It's my job.
Brother.
Hurry!
Come in.
Please take good care of him.
I'm being sent to Manchuria tomorrow.
I'm embarrassed to say it,
but I've never had a woman.
I put myself in your hands.
His father's waiting downstairs.
Yes.
Once I taste a woman,
I won't let myself be killed easily.
That's what Dad said.
Manchuria, eh?
For your country?
Yes.
I'll serve my mother country.
How great!
Men serve their country.
I never thought of it.
But...
I'll make you a real man.
Thank you.
Relax, all right?
Just do as I say.
Let's go to Manchuria together.
Yes, let's.
No.
Let's go.
- We can't go.
- Yes, we can.
Yes, we'll go.
No. No.
I can't hold it.
Not yet.
Take it slow.
Slow.
We'll go to Manchuria.
That's right.
It feels so good!
You're amazing, Sada! Irresistible!
It really got me excited.
When you touched him down there.
Soldiers are special.
Thanks.
Okayo, a client.
A client?
Some tea?
No, thanks. I'm in a hurry!
One, two
Boss!
You're doing well, eh?
What are you doing?
How can I control myself now?
You'll catch what I have.
Who cares?
- Brother.
- Who cares?
Why are you speaking
with an Osaka accent?
Who cares?
Thank you for your hard work, Kimie.
Thanks.
Your box sure is great.
It's more than just experience.
Sorry about this.
What'll we do? Shall I pay you?
How can I take money from you?
Instead,
there's a man I want to lay me free.
You love him?
No.
He's the one who stole my virginity.
Why for free?
If a whore refuses money from a man,
it's a big insult to him.
I'll get back at him that way.
Look for him and bring him to me.
You're an interesting woman.
No.
You're a dreadful woman.
Thus time passed once again.
Do you know why flowers
are so lovely like this?
Pardon?
SUMMER 1935
Flowers are like a woman's equipment.
Oh, madam
Flowers bloom just for that purpose.
They attract bees,
then their petals fall away.
It would be sad
if people were the same way.
People are different because
they have something called a "heart."
Understand?
Where did you hear that?
I read it in that magazine.
HOUSEWIVES' FRI END
The master's back.
And don't call me madam.
I'm just a concubine.
She knows what to do,
so have a nice time.
Welcome back.
Welcome. My name is Sada.
Welcome back.
Mr. Tachibana.
Pleased to meet you.
A bath first, or something to eat?
A bath first.
Let him change his clothes and relax.
Excuse me.
See you later.
I'll do it.
Sorry.
Excuse me.
I'll do it.
Listen.
You were wrong.
You weren't formal enough
when introducing yourself.
You must speak more politely
to men in my position.
Another thing.
I can take of myself.
Leave me alone.
I felt he had made a fool of me.
I decided to conquer him for revenge.
Don't touch me there.
I'm a man, after all.
It makes me feel strange.
Then why not just feel strange?
You have soft hands.
No. You mustn't do this.
Master.
Don't.
What's your name?
It's Sada.
You were wrong again.
Why not be wrong with me?
Sada.
Aren't you Sada?
Mom!
It's me.
I came home to see you.
It's been so long.
Could this really be true?
Yes, it is.
You're seeing the real Sada.
A gift for you.
Thank you.
When you wrote
you were coming home,
your dad didn't believe it.
I believed it.
I prayed to Buddha.
And I told your dad you'd come.
Of course I'd come home.
But still!
I never lied to Dad or you.
That's why I got scolded so often!
Let's go.
You're really beautiful.
I'm a lady.
I'll carry your things.
No. It's part of my outfit.
What a nice day!
How's Dad doing these days?
He sits and looks out
on the landscape all day.
Good.
We owe you so much.
You send us money.
We can buy medicine
and pay doctors.
No one else here sees a doctor.
This way.
What about you?
I met a big shot for the first time.
I know. Takiguchi told us.
You're fortunate.
You worked hard
and it brought you good fortune.
His name is Tachibana?
He's a school principal.
He'll be in parliament too.
But he didn't tell me that.
I found out on my own.
Maybe he wants to hide what he is.
He pays me and teaches me lots.
He told me to go see my parents.
He said to be a dutiful daughter.
I'm so grateful to him.
After I leave here,
he told me to be an apprentice
in a Tokyo restaurant.
A restaurant?
To study cooking.
Then he'll give me enough
to run a small restaurant.
Let's race, Mom.
Ready?
Go!
Dad!
I feel better.
Japanese kimonos are something.
This dress suits you too.
It's the "modern girl" style.
It's the rage now.
I wanted to surprise you.
Actually, I hate it.
Why not show it to your dad?
It'd shock him to death.
I always wanted to tell you this.
What?
That college student
who made you suffer so
He died.
He became a pilot
and crashed during a drill.
He was punished.
And the other student you mentioned
His name was Okada.
I thought you knew this.
He suffered from Hansen's disease.
He was sent to an island.
These things happen.
Hansen's disease?
Such lovely flowers!
This paper's lovely too.
Sulfate paper.
It's the rage, too.
Rain again.
Dad.
What are you looking at?
Mountains?
Trees?
The sky?
Or the rain?
Dad.
What about the heart?
The heart?
Can you see a human heart?
Smile.
Smile more, Sada.
I can see it.
Your heart is smiling.
Sada's heart is smiling.
Dad.
Listen.
When you smile,
mountains, trees,
the sky, the rain
everything smiles too.
That's a human heart.
Dad.
Why did you buy them?
You're no ordinary woman.
Sir.
Will you do me a favor?
Money? I'll give you some now,
then more at year-end.
Learn the trade
and open a restaurant.
That's not it.
Then what?
I must return to the conference.
Find a man who's in isolation
for Hansen's disease.
You can do it.
I know what your conference is for.
I know all about you.
You can do anything.
Listen, Sada.
I'm a school principal.
I'll be finished
if we're seen together.
I can't walk on the street
with you openly.
My fate depends on you.
Then find him.
Okada. A medical student.
I met him in 1919.
His aunt is the proprietress
of an inn.
That's all. Look for him.
A student named Okada?
I must see him at any cost.
If you promise,
I'll work at the restaurant
you recommended.
I'll leave this life
and run a small restaurant.
I'll do whatever it takes to learn
the trade, even washing dishes.
But Hansen's disease is a secret.
I can't do it.
That's why I'm asking you.
All right. I'll do what I can.
You sure are a nice person.
I love you!
That's enough.
All right.
We'll stay in contact
through this place.
I'll ask the madam.
Keep quiet till I'm elected.
I'll make it.
I know.
Mr. Tachibana.
See you again.
Here comes the fateful man -
Tatsuzo Kikumoto.
February 1936.
It was three months
before it happened.
She was 31 and at her best.
Sada is walking along the street
Passersby turn to look at her
But Sada keeps on walking
Hello?
Did you dream of her
Then you don't love her enough
If you really fall for her
You can't sleep at night
What are you doing?
Come in.
Hey!
I'm Sada.
There's a Sada here.
See to her.
I'm here to work as an apprentice.
My name is -
I know already.
Who was that gentleman?
He owns this place.
He's my husband, Tatsuzo.
Be careful.
He's fast with women.
Shinkichi!
Help her.
FEBRUARY 12
Will this do?
Not yet.
Ass!
How can you polish a square dish
with circular motions?
Use square strokes.
You have nice, lovely hands.
You've never worked
in a kitchen, have you?
Here she comes.
How is she?
She's doing all right.
She is?
We never let a woman
touch finished food before.
It's Mr. Tachibana's wish.
Mr. Tachibana?
Sada, how old is he?
He's tough, isn't he?
I admire him.
My kids will come home
from school soon.
Give them a snack.
All right?
Let's see what happens.
FEBRUARY 28
MARCH 17
APRIL 19
Even after I started working there,
I never forgot Tachibana.
I expected a bright future.
One night I was writing to him
when Tatsuzo came in.
"I wish I knew what happened
regarding what I asked you about."
You're writing to Tachibana, eh?
Damn him!
The light's still on.
We made love for the first time there.
We did it,
but it was no fun.
Everyone knew about your affair,
so you two decided to stay at an inn?
Mr. Tachibana phoned me
the morning of April 23.
I took leave and went to see him.
APRIL 23
Listen.
About Okada
"February 26 Coup d'Etat"
Answer my question!
I don't like your attitude.
Some young military officers
rose up on February 26.
It shocked the whole nation.
You should take more interest
in current events.
I don't understand anything
about such affairs.
I understand only Okada.
He misses me. I must see him.
He's in an asylum
in Okayama Prefecture.
Where is it?
On an island.
Is he well?
I don't know.
What do you mean?
About Hansen's disease
I asked about him, not the disease.
Understand about the disease first,
or I won't tell you anything.
The cause is unknown.
Hansen's disease
is considered hopeless.
It's incurable.
The patients are isolated
from their families.
Nothing is reported about them.
Then I can't see him if I go?
No, you can't.
He won't see you either.
It's too much.
Nevertheless,
that's how today's Japan is.
Then I can understand those officers.
They tried to improve Japan!
Not so loud.
When someone plots something,
he first needs the world's help.
It's not easy.
Definitely not.
It's sad.
That's life.
Why aren't we meeting
at the usual inn?
I hate this place.
I must leave soon.
I brought your favorite food.
Physical love has only secondary meaning
between a man and woman.
A close rapport should come first.
Just someone holding your hand
seems to excite you.
You're easily aroused.
When you're with a man,
you must control yourself.
Good-bye.
I found his theories boring,
but at the same time
I regarded him as a great person.
Sada is telling us her story
It surprises people greatly
She never stoops along the way
Why is this, Okada?
I can't remember your face.
It hurts.
It pains my body, but
I walked on the beach alone.
Tatsuzo gave me a note
as I was going out.
I went to the inn
he mentioned in his note.
"See you at Yoshinoya Inn"
So you came.
I knew you'd come.
Come in.
Wasn't it cold?
Sit over here.
Though I must say,
when you're standing,
I can look at your cute butt.
Give me some sake too.
Sure. You drink?
You believe in omens?
Omens?
Drink up. I'll get more.
Why?
Omens?
I like to believe in omens.
Like: "She who drinks with me
will never leave me."
There are hundreds
of restaurants in Tokyo,
and lots of women
are training in them.
I know.
You chose mine.
That in itself was destiny.
Is that what you meant?
Yes.
- You're smarter than you look.
- My mind isn't my only strong point.
You really speak your mind!
What happened?
We're getting drunk.
Want to go to bed
before we're too drunk?
Is that what you wanted after all?
What are you saying?
What else would a married man
like me want from you?
We could enjoy talking
and then just say good-bye.
Talk?
About that coup d'tat
or things like that.
Don't try to sober me up.
You care about that?
It's big news, isn't it?
That's enough.
As I told you
You know, right? I'm
I know.
You're married and have children.
You can't spend money endlessly,
even if you own a restaurant.
Can you pay for this place?
You're mean when you're drunk.
What if I am?
Can you drop me just like that?
I can, and I will.
I'll drop you.
Thank you.
What's this?
Give me that.
What is it? Show me.
No.
Master.
Don't call me that.
I've liked you since I first met you.
I like you too.
We'll hold a wedding today.
We'll call geishas.
I'm glad. It sounds like fun.
That night we made love
over and over again.
That night I could relax
for the first time in a long time.
Before I realized it,
I found that my body
couldn't do without a man.
How many men had I known?
They were countless.
They had left me craving
a man's body.
Among the many
I had affairs with,
Tatsuzo was the best
in a sexual sense.
Even when dozing off,
he gently stroked my body all over.
For the first time,
I had met a man who could
care for me and really excite me.
I loved him and didn't want
to be apart from him.
But without money,
what could we do?
More, please.
Sada.
Okada...
You know how many men Sada has had?
No need to be mean.
APRIL 24
How dare you talk like that?
I've been patient
as a favor to Mr. Tachibana,
but I'll fire that bitch!
Give that to me!
Are you plotting to take over
by sleeping with the master?
If I were, wouldn't it be better
to go after you?
What a thing to say!
You're terrible.
You heard us, eh?
Why did you seduce my husband?
You're just kitchen help!
Can't the kitchen help
sleep with men?
He started all this.
Perhaps if his wife
were more attractive
What? Bitch!
Stop that!
You started it, you villain!
Nonsense!
What's the difference who started it?
Was he that good?
He was great!
And he said I was better than you.
Shall I call the police?
Idiot!
What did you think of Yoshi,
the madam?
I thought she was a fool
for bad-mouthing her husband.
What a mess!
Sada, wait!
Are you hurt?
No. It's nothing,
compared to the other pain.
What do you mean, the other pain?
Men wouldn't know.
Were you kicked out, too?
I was just an heiress's husband.
They say, "Never marry an heiress."
Don't make fun of me.
What'll you do now?
I have no idea.
What about you?
"My sorrow is stained.
What do I want?
What can I wish for?"
What's that?
A poem.
A young man wrote that sad poem.
"Stained sorrow...
dreams of death in lassitude."
"Lassitude"?
Yes.
It means feeling tired and dull.
So you want to die?
No, it's just a poem.
I'm all right.
Let's go to that inn again.
While you were fighting with Yoshi,
I stole some money.
I wish you happiness.
Doughnuts, please.
How come you like that stuff?
Thank you.
Hey, Sada.
Yes?
Why not toss those doughnuts?
Toss them?
Look.
I'll catch them.
Idiot!
You see? I'm still young, eh?
One, then two
Two, then three
Then four
Then five
Then finally six
What's that song?
It was years ago.
Maybe I sang it when I was a child.
It's coming back to you now?
No.
Now is like the past.
How many did you count
How many and how many
Count many numbers
They can bring tomorrow
They can bring back yesterday
That picture.
I've seen it somewhere.
It's by Yumeji.
He drew it.
Whether a poem or a painting,
I envy those who leave behind
something important.
I, on the other hand,
spend my life in vain.
As for me,
I'm beginning to find something
to live for.
What's Okada to you?
You called me Okada the other day.
You said his name.
I did?
Who is he?
He may not be you...
or he may be you.
What can it be?
I mean, a man's name.
What did you do
while you were with Tatsuzo?
For two weeks,
from April 24 to May 7,
we moved from inn to inn.
Normally people would get
tired of each other,
but I actually grew
more and more fond of him.
He went back to Yoshi to get money.
I was left alone for three days.
I was so jealous and impatient.
That was the hardest time of my life.
MAY 8
MAY 9
MAY 10
One, then two
Two, then three
Then four
Then five
Then finally six
Those three days seemed
like a month to me.
MAY 11
Did you miss me?
Yes.
Did you miss me too?
Yeah, but it was a rough time.
A horse went wild.
It kicked a girl.
I hope she's all right.
Was that the "rough time"?
No, that wasn't all.
Are you angry?
In a bad mood?
I was upset too.
You know Yoshi.
She was hard to convince.
Did you lay her too?
Did you let her feel you?
What?
Why do you let that bother you?
I know.
That's why she got jealous.
If we balanced our love on a scale,
I loved Tatsuzo
more than he loved me.
Hey, Tatsuzo!
I'm mad at you.
I'll never let you go back
to your wife again.
If you do, I'll kill us both!
As a joke,
I bound his wrists with a sash.
It made him happy.
He tickled me with his bound hands.
We hardly slept.
We made love till morning.
Tatsuzo.
He couldn't get money from his wife.
I decided to ask Tachibana for some.
I'm sorry to make you come so far.
MAY 16
I have work to do here anyway.
You're looking well.
That woman told me she fired you.
I was worried about you.
I didn't know where you were.
Are you here for another conference?
No.
I'll go to the usual inn with you.
Then I'll go home.
Welcome.
Coffee, please.
Is this your "work"?
A Calpis, please.
It's raining.
Let's take a trip together
for a few days.
We'll go to the Seto Inland Sea.
We'll see the island
where that student is.
We might get
some information on him.
What's wrong?
You were so eager before.
Don't bother about him anymore.
If he doesn't see me or write to me,
I feel as if
he were here all the time.
Please enjoy.
I'm beginning to understand
the things you tell me.
So please don't bother.
I see.
Then
let's not go to that inn together.
That's better, eh?
I'm sorry.
Here's 200 yen for you.
Keep in touch.
I'll send more.
Excuse me.
Would you have a match?
Thank you.
Isn't a man waiting for you?
If you have a beau, tell me.
I'll inquire about him.
I'll sponsor your wedding.
I think of you as my kid sister.
I'll take care of you even if I die.
It's as if you belonged
to another world.
I missed Tatsuzo so badly
and hurried back to him.
I'm lonely. So lonely.
What's wrong with you?
I'm very lonely somehow.
I'm here.
Just like usual.
It's odd, very odd.
I've never been so lonely.
You won't go away.
You won't leave me, will you?
Why not tie me up so I can't leave?
I wish I were a sash myself.
I could tie you up with my body.
Please strangle me.
Squeeze my throat.
Strangle me.
Let's stop.
Let's stop.
I feel sorry for you.
Then I'll strangle you.
I'll use this sash.
I'll stop you from breathing.
Stop it!
You're tickling me.
How can I make love like this?
Stop!
At first he enjoyed it.
He slapped his forehead
and made faces.
He was having fun.
When I squeezed his throat,
his belly trembled nicely.
I told him so.
If you like it,
I'll endure it,
even thought it hurts.
That's what he said.
I don't care what happens to my body.
He said that, too.
Hey, it's shrunk.
What happened?
My neck's hot.
Look what you did to me.
They're dead.
They got wet in the rain, huh?
Human life is short.
How long can birds live?
How brief!
They were alive just a while ago.
Everything dies someday.
I'm 42 already.
I've done almost everything
a man can do in his life.
As for the rest,
my assets are mortgaged.
It'll take a while,
but I'll help you open a restaurant.
Not a bad way
to spend the rest of my life.
I'm glad, but I'm sad, too.
- I suppose.
- If
If
Don't say that.
There are no "ifs" in life.
To live, you must stop saying "if."
Really?
Absolutely.
Let's drop this gloomy subject.
There may be no "ifs,"
but you're here, and that's for sure.
Let's go to bed.
Let's do it again.
Staying with you,
I'll end up a skeleton.
On the 17th,
you strangled Tatsuzo to death
in his sleep.
Tell us how it happened.
He kept saying
that he was sleepy.
As I watched him sleep,
MAY 17
he opened his eyes
and was glad to see me.
Listen.
After I fall asleep,
I'll bet you strangle me again.
He said so.
Then I said -
Yes.
I said so, laughing.
When you strangle me,
don't loosen your hands.
Otherwise it will hurt afterwards.
That time,
I wondered if he wanted me to kill him.
I thought so.
But soon afterward,
I thought he was only joking.
Before long, he fell asleep.
I reached with my right hand
and grabbed a pink sash.
I slid the end under his neck
and wound it twice.
I gripped both ends
and slowly strangled him.
Tatsuzo opened his eyes.
Saying that, he tried to hug me.
I pressed my head
to Tatsuzo's chest.
Forgive me!
I cried.
I pulled on the sash
as hard as I could.
Then I went downstairs
and looked around.
I saw a clock in the office.
It was a little past 2.00 a.m.
Why did you slice off his penis?
I thought if I carried it with me,
he would always be with me,
and I wouldn't feel lonely.
Why did you carve
your name into his flesh?
I wanted him to carry me
with him forever.
So I carved my name.
What did you do with his penis?
It was a keepsake he left me.
I wrapped it in special paper
and tucked it under my waistband.
What about the weapon?
I put it in my bag
and carried it with me.
It was a gift from someone special.
MAY 18
I'm going out for a while.
He's sleeping.
Don't wake him till noon.
If it isn't Sada!
Such a long time.
What a surprise!
You, in Tokyo?
What's up?
You look happy.
Has something good happened?
I feel as if something heavy
that had been here a long time
suddenly disappeared.
Is that so?
I heard your father died.
I didn't make it to his funeral.
Eighty-two? A nice long life.
A lot happens in this life, eh?
Where are you going?
Never mind.
We'll meet again.
Good-bye.
Good-bye. Take care.
Thank you.
Same to you.
What's this?
What happened?
His member has been cut off.
Cut off with a knife, perhaps.
A murder case?
- I'm not sure yet!
- Double suicide?
I wonder.
I've been a cop a long time,
but I've never seen anything like this.
Let's look for this woman Sada.
What were you doing
before your arrest?
That day,
I strolled along the riverbank.
Then I went to Asakusa
and saw a historical drama
at the movies.
Didn't you plan to run away?
Tatsuzo was dead, so I must die.
I thought so vaguely.
Besides, it started to rain,
so I didn't run away
but just wandered around town.
I sat on a park bench, thinking.
Then I decided
to meet Tachibana at his inn.
He happened to be in Tokyo.
Where are you going in this rain?
I can't just stay and get wet.
He said
Then why not come here?
I insisted on going
somewhere we'd never been.
We took a taxi towards Otsuka
and took a room at an inn.
I didn't tell him
that I'd killed Tatsuzo.
I was very vague.
Whatever may happen,
just think that you bought a whore.
You paid me.
I kept repeating things like that.
I knew how he felt at that time.
Let's go to bed.
I slept with him merely out of duty.
This has a secondary meaning
for you, right?
I hate to say this,
but you sort of stink.
MAY 19
Then we parted.
I moved to another inn by myself.
Although I tried
to kill myself there,
the transom was
too low to hang myself.
I couldn't die.
So I wrote to Tachibana and Tatsuzo,
who was already dead.
"You whom I loved most have died.
You became mine.
I will join you.
You are mine.
From Sada. "
"Dear Mr. Tachibana.
You said you'd help me
to live decently.
You treated me with love,
though you didn't satisfy me.
But it's for another reason
that I'm going to die. "
MAY 20
I couldn't mail the letter to Tatsuzo.
I asked a maid
to post my letter
to Tachibana the next day,
and thus his name
was disclosed to the world.
It caused him troubles,
and I'm sorry for that.
Then
I drank two bottles of beer.
I lay in bed, wondering how to die.
The police came about 4.00 p.m.
Yes, I'm Sada Abe.
Then they arrested me.
Here's a strange picture.
It was taken when she was arrested.
She's smiling, feeling relieved,
as she stated in her confession.
The cops are smiling too.
I wonder what that implies.
Actually, the Sada case was
looked upon favorably by the public.
Sada became a heroine,
a winner in love.
"This incident tells that
their plus and minus
satisfied each other."
Meaning?
The man and woman fit each other.
"Their plus and minus
satisfied each other
and led to this rare outcome."
It's the talk of the town.
Her lawyer's speech
softened up the public prosecutors.
She staked her life on love.
I envy her.
It was an act of love.
It sure is something great
in these gloomy times.
I'll applaud.
Loud enough for all to hear.
"What a problem for Mr. Tachibana!"
Last question:
You, the accused,
loved Tatsuzo, the victim,
so much that you wanted
to have him all for yourself,
even if you had to murder him?
What is the meaning of that?
I don't know.
I don't even know myself.
At that time, I did as I wished.
That's all.
Come to think of it,
it's hard to know
how anyone feels - even myself.
The trial began on May 20, 1936,
and ended on December 21.
The accused shall serve six years.
Do you have anything to say?
No.
A long time passed once again.
Everyone forgot about it.
If forgetting means dying,
I guess I died at that time.
On April 1, 1996,
the Anti-Leprosy Law,
which caused bias and segregation,
was abolished
90 years after it was enacted.
The island was opened to everyone.
But no one knows
where Okada went.
Sada's term was shortened
to five years.
She was released on May 17, 1941.
Some say she changed her name
and got married,
or that she staged a drama
about herself and toured Japan.
But everything faded
with the passing of time.
Few people know about Sada now.
Japan is in a dark age again.
But the Japanese
were beautiful in those days.
I felt that way.
It's been all of 61 years.
Sada's days are over, I guess.
I who fret like this
am no longer needed these days.
It's about time to exit this stage.
Well, then, good-bye, everyone.
Be careful.
How many did you count
How many and how many
Count many numbers
They can bring tomorrow
They can bring back yesterday
If Sada's still alive,
she'd be 93 years old.
Directed by
NOBUHI KO OBAYASHI
SHOCHI KU DAI-ICHI KOGYO CO., LTD.
In Cooperation with PSC
Directed by
NOBUHI KO OBAYASHI
How do you do?
I'm Takiguchi,
one of this film's characters.
This is the story of a woman
who calls me "Brother."
Her name? It's Sada.
Yes. That famous Sada. Sada Abe.
She insists on telling you
about herself.
Facts can easily become fiction
when recounted by someone
even by oneself.
But with a bit of sincerity,
lies can become truth.
So, why not enjoy yourselves
this evening
by listening to Sada's story?
She's like a lovable kid sister to me.
I apologize for her rudeness.
I'd appreciate your generosity.
I'll see you again later.
Excuse me.
Step aside!
SADA ABE
Executive Producer
HISAO NABESHI MA
Written by
YUKO NISHIZAWA
Producer
KYOKO OBAYASHI
Photography
NORITAKA SAKAMOTO
Art Director
KOICHI TAKEUCHI
Set Decorator
KOICHI HAMAMURA
Music
SOTARO MANABU
The Players:
HITOMI KUROKI
KI PPEl SHII NA
KYUSAKU SHI MADA
BENGAL
RENJI ISHI BASHI
MIYOKO AKAZA,
TOSHI E NEGISHI, WAKABA I RI E
JI RO SAKAGAMI
EMI KO AZUMA, HISASHI IGAWA
RYO AMAMIYA
RI KI TAKEUCHI
KEIJ U KOBAYASHI
NORI HEl MI KI
TSURUTARO KATAOKA
Screenplay, Editing and Direction by
NOBUHI KO OBAYASHI
"'It starts to rain while I'm playing.
It rains outside my lattice window.'
A literary fragment
by Chuya Nakahara."
"Sada Abe really lived.
She is well known
because she sliced off
her man's sexual organ.
But of course, her life cannot be told
only through that episode."
I, too, had a childhood.
But let's forget about that.
EARLY SUMMER 1913
Either way,
maybe I lived thinking of myself
as neither happy nor unhappy.
But in any case, I hated rainy days.
My story begins here.
SUMMER 1919
Open up. Please!
I have a question!
How many times must I repeat this?
I won't leave until you answer!
Yes?
You a maid?
As you can see.
I must talk to your mistress!
She's home.
I saw her just now.
Listen. Tell me!
Her son, a college boy,
dragged my daughter into an inn!
Do something!
If worst comes to worst, she'll die.
She's just a schoolgirl.
She's only 14.
You hear me, eh?
She's only 14!
You think you can deceive us like this?
Because she's a merchant's daughter,
you think she isn't human?
Being here with a man
means you know what happens.
Okay?
Stop.
It's too late to stop.
I'm scared.
Silly. This isn't the first time
for you, eh?
It is.
Liar! You're well-known among us.
At your age you already have a man.
That's not true!
I'll make it true.
No!
That hurts!
That hurts!
Who are you?
How rude to barge into my room.
Toshihiko.
Aren't you the one who's being rude?
You Okada?
She needs treatment.
- Call a doc.
- Don't do that.
It'll cause trouble.
I have money.
Use this to take care of it.
We're friends, right?
I don't like weepy women.
Take it easy.
I'm a medical student.
I'll treat you.
This is my aunt's place.
Stay here.
Please.
Stay by me.
You're bleeding.
It's all right now.
Rest for a while.
Stay here.
Stay here, please.
If you leave me,
I'll kill myself with this.
I don't want to be left alone.
Look at my blood.
It's scarlet.
Look at that.
I'll bleed even more.
I bought these for my aunt.
Have one.
Eat it.
It's sweet.
FATAL DISEASE
How odd!
Raining on a lucky day.
A lucky day?
You're here.
You don't have to talk.
Just stay by my side.
I've never met anyone like you.
I detest him.
Not you.
That student.
To think how he tricked me.
I can't get married now.
Will you marry me?
Sorry, I can't.
Then die with me.
Die?
Yes. Double suicide.
Listen.
Why do you wear dark glasses
all the time?
I know you have lovely eyes.
Why hide them?
Sada.
You should know this:
Though we just met,
we mustn't meet again.
Why not?
Tell me.
Why not?
I won't tell you.
Tell me!
You're nice.
An honest girl.
Don't go astray
just because of this.
Wherever I am,
I'll watch over you in my heart.
We'll say good-bye here.
Find happiness.
No! You're lying!
You don't care about me at all!
Watch over me in your heart?
Where is the heart, really?
You're right.
Even X-rays can't show where it is.
Use this and cut out my heart.
Do like this.
Look.
This is my heart.
It's yours.
Take it with you.
The knife too.
Then you can believe
you took my heart yourself.
Blood gushes
from my heart too.
Now let's part here.
I'll be going far away.
I'll never
come back again.
Good-bye.
I hate rainy days.
Hansen's disease.
Okada suffered from it.
It was regarded as incurable.
Its patients were isolated.
Okada was secretly sent away
to a remote island,
and Sada never knew.
Okada lived during Sada's lifetime,
but did they meet and part like this?
Sada spoke little about it,
and no one actually knows.
This film trespasses
in the mysterious realm of Sada.
Are you going
to sell those kimonos again?
Yes.
What's wrong with selling mine?
Now you're just quibbling.
You quit school.
You're a truant.
Your dad says
he might make you a geisha.
Really? Why not?
How can I ignore my dad?
Stop asking that student to marry me.
He'll never marry me.
I'll have a miserable life!
But we must make him pay
for what he did
to our precious daughter.
It's me he did it to.
Don't try to sell my virginity to him.
That's so lowdown.
Then what am I to do?
He said you made eyes at him.
Like this?
Money isn't the issue.
We should've made him
apologize in public.
Don't you agree?
But what's done is done.
I can't regain my virginity anyway.
Sada.
Tell Dad I'll be glad to be
a geisha or anything.
Out of my way!
I was still the person
I had always been,
but perhaps the world
saw me differently now.
Anyway, it didn't really concern me.
I could be more at ease than before.
In a way, I was enjoying myself.
- Wait!
- Run!
Two cops against the seven of us.
They'll never get us.
Try to get us!
Hey, wait!
Only idiots wait for cops!
Try to get us!
Let's go!
Wait!
Wait!
That student looked rich,
but he was broke.
Let's blackmail
rich old men next time.
Where are you, Okada?
Did you run away?
Cops!
Which way?
That way!
Wait!
Run! Sada, run!
Get away!
My childhood was over
before I even knew it.
I never thought of you as this sexy.
Sexy?
You've matured.
Your dad told me.
A lot has happened, eh?
Your brother left home
with a woman.
Your dad had a big tatami shop,
but he closed it to pay debts.
Anything can happen in life.
Business is slow in Japan.
Recession is everywhere.
But there's no recession
where you're going to work.
Men can't resist
as long as they have money.
A geisha's job is
to sell her art, right?
Yes. "Art."
A very feminine art.
Can she play the samisen?
She doesn't just play music, ma'am.
She dances well too. Right?
Then play this.
Play anything you like.
All right?
"Cat" is slang for geisha
They call me cat
But do you think a cat comes
wearing clogs and kimono
THE GREAT EARTHQUAKE OF 1923
My mind is elsewhere.
Only my body is hot.
An endless stream of men came and went,
and endless days as well.
SUMMER 1929
It's been 10 years.
I've moved all over Japan.
I've used aliases.
Geishas sell their bodies too,
so why not just be a whore instead?
I felt more at ease that way.
I don't dislike this racket,
and I get to choose my clients too.
Miyako,
there's a client for you.
A client at this hour?
All right.
Why, it's you, Brother!
I heard you were ill,
so I came to see you.
Thank you for coming all this way.
This racket and this illness
go together.
There's an offer for you.
Why not work at Kusatsu spa?
It'll cure your illness.
I know.
That's what you came for.
You'll make more money off me.
Otherwise, you wouldn't have come
all the way to Osaka to see me.
You're a real professional now.
Meaning?
Do I look so sexy?
You've always been sexy
and a straight talker.
Doesn't it bother your clients?
I'm amazed.
Why not become one of them?
Silly!
You're like my sister.
You want to lay me
as long as it's free, huh?
Your face says so.
I'm old enough to see that.
It's my long experience.
Sonomaru, a client.
- A client?
- Yes.
He says it won't take long.
It's my job.
Brother.
Hurry!
Come in.
Please take good care of him.
I'm being sent to Manchuria tomorrow.
I'm embarrassed to say it,
but I've never had a woman.
I put myself in your hands.
His father's waiting downstairs.
Yes.
Once I taste a woman,
I won't let myself be killed easily.
That's what Dad said.
Manchuria, eh?
For your country?
Yes.
I'll serve my mother country.
How great!
Men serve their country.
I never thought of it.
But...
I'll make you a real man.
Thank you.
Relax, all right?
Just do as I say.
Let's go to Manchuria together.
Yes, let's.
No.
Let's go.
- We can't go.
- Yes, we can.
Yes, we'll go.
No. No.
I can't hold it.
Not yet.
Take it slow.
Slow.
We'll go to Manchuria.
That's right.
It feels so good!
You're amazing, Sada! Irresistible!
It really got me excited.
When you touched him down there.
Soldiers are special.
Thanks.
Okayo, a client.
A client?
Some tea?
No, thanks. I'm in a hurry!
One, two
Boss!
You're doing well, eh?
What are you doing?
How can I control myself now?
You'll catch what I have.
Who cares?
- Brother.
- Who cares?
Why are you speaking
with an Osaka accent?
Who cares?
Thank you for your hard work, Kimie.
Thanks.
Your box sure is great.
It's more than just experience.
Sorry about this.
What'll we do? Shall I pay you?
How can I take money from you?
Instead,
there's a man I want to lay me free.
You love him?
No.
He's the one who stole my virginity.
Why for free?
If a whore refuses money from a man,
it's a big insult to him.
I'll get back at him that way.
Look for him and bring him to me.
You're an interesting woman.
No.
You're a dreadful woman.
Thus time passed once again.
Do you know why flowers
are so lovely like this?
Pardon?
SUMMER 1935
Flowers are like a woman's equipment.
Oh, madam
Flowers bloom just for that purpose.
They attract bees,
then their petals fall away.
It would be sad
if people were the same way.
People are different because
they have something called a "heart."
Understand?
Where did you hear that?
I read it in that magazine.
HOUSEWIVES' FRI END
The master's back.
And don't call me madam.
I'm just a concubine.
She knows what to do,
so have a nice time.
Welcome back.
Welcome. My name is Sada.
Welcome back.
Mr. Tachibana.
Pleased to meet you.
A bath first, or something to eat?
A bath first.
Let him change his clothes and relax.
Excuse me.
See you later.
I'll do it.
Sorry.
Excuse me.
I'll do it.
Listen.
You were wrong.
You weren't formal enough
when introducing yourself.
You must speak more politely
to men in my position.
Another thing.
I can take of myself.
Leave me alone.
I felt he had made a fool of me.
I decided to conquer him for revenge.
Don't touch me there.
I'm a man, after all.
It makes me feel strange.
Then why not just feel strange?
You have soft hands.
No. You mustn't do this.
Master.
Don't.
What's your name?
It's Sada.
You were wrong again.
Why not be wrong with me?
Sada.
Aren't you Sada?
Mom!
It's me.
I came home to see you.
It's been so long.
Could this really be true?
Yes, it is.
You're seeing the real Sada.
A gift for you.
Thank you.
When you wrote
you were coming home,
your dad didn't believe it.
I believed it.
I prayed to Buddha.
And I told your dad you'd come.
Of course I'd come home.
But still!
I never lied to Dad or you.
That's why I got scolded so often!
Let's go.
You're really beautiful.
I'm a lady.
I'll carry your things.
No. It's part of my outfit.
What a nice day!
How's Dad doing these days?
He sits and looks out
on the landscape all day.
Good.
We owe you so much.
You send us money.
We can buy medicine
and pay doctors.
No one else here sees a doctor.
This way.
What about you?
I met a big shot for the first time.
I know. Takiguchi told us.
You're fortunate.
You worked hard
and it brought you good fortune.
His name is Tachibana?
He's a school principal.
He'll be in parliament too.
But he didn't tell me that.
I found out on my own.
Maybe he wants to hide what he is.
He pays me and teaches me lots.
He told me to go see my parents.
He said to be a dutiful daughter.
I'm so grateful to him.
After I leave here,
he told me to be an apprentice
in a Tokyo restaurant.
A restaurant?
To study cooking.
Then he'll give me enough
to run a small restaurant.
Let's race, Mom.
Ready?
Go!
Dad!
I feel better.
Japanese kimonos are something.
This dress suits you too.
It's the "modern girl" style.
It's the rage now.
I wanted to surprise you.
Actually, I hate it.
Why not show it to your dad?
It'd shock him to death.
I always wanted to tell you this.
What?
That college student
who made you suffer so
He died.
He became a pilot
and crashed during a drill.
He was punished.
And the other student you mentioned
His name was Okada.
I thought you knew this.
He suffered from Hansen's disease.
He was sent to an island.
These things happen.
Hansen's disease?
Such lovely flowers!
This paper's lovely too.
Sulfate paper.
It's the rage, too.
Rain again.
Dad.
What are you looking at?
Mountains?
Trees?
The sky?
Or the rain?
Dad.
What about the heart?
The heart?
Can you see a human heart?
Smile.
Smile more, Sada.
I can see it.
Your heart is smiling.
Sada's heart is smiling.
Dad.
Listen.
When you smile,
mountains, trees,
the sky, the rain
everything smiles too.
That's a human heart.
Dad.
Why did you buy them?
You're no ordinary woman.
Sir.
Will you do me a favor?
Money? I'll give you some now,
then more at year-end.
Learn the trade
and open a restaurant.
That's not it.
Then what?
I must return to the conference.
Find a man who's in isolation
for Hansen's disease.
You can do it.
I know what your conference is for.
I know all about you.
You can do anything.
Listen, Sada.
I'm a school principal.
I'll be finished
if we're seen together.
I can't walk on the street
with you openly.
My fate depends on you.
Then find him.
Okada. A medical student.
I met him in 1919.
His aunt is the proprietress
of an inn.
That's all. Look for him.
A student named Okada?
I must see him at any cost.
If you promise,
I'll work at the restaurant
you recommended.
I'll leave this life
and run a small restaurant.
I'll do whatever it takes to learn
the trade, even washing dishes.
But Hansen's disease is a secret.
I can't do it.
That's why I'm asking you.
All right. I'll do what I can.
You sure are a nice person.
I love you!
That's enough.
All right.
We'll stay in contact
through this place.
I'll ask the madam.
Keep quiet till I'm elected.
I'll make it.
I know.
Mr. Tachibana.
See you again.
Here comes the fateful man -
Tatsuzo Kikumoto.
February 1936.
It was three months
before it happened.
She was 31 and at her best.
Sada is walking along the street
Passersby turn to look at her
But Sada keeps on walking
Hello?
Did you dream of her
Then you don't love her enough
If you really fall for her
You can't sleep at night
What are you doing?
Come in.
Hey!
I'm Sada.
There's a Sada here.
See to her.
I'm here to work as an apprentice.
My name is -
I know already.
Who was that gentleman?
He owns this place.
He's my husband, Tatsuzo.
Be careful.
He's fast with women.
Shinkichi!
Help her.
FEBRUARY 12
Will this do?
Not yet.
Ass!
How can you polish a square dish
with circular motions?
Use square strokes.
You have nice, lovely hands.
You've never worked
in a kitchen, have you?
Here she comes.
How is she?
She's doing all right.
She is?
We never let a woman
touch finished food before.
It's Mr. Tachibana's wish.
Mr. Tachibana?
Sada, how old is he?
He's tough, isn't he?
I admire him.
My kids will come home
from school soon.
Give them a snack.
All right?
Let's see what happens.
FEBRUARY 28
MARCH 17
APRIL 19
Even after I started working there,
I never forgot Tachibana.
I expected a bright future.
One night I was writing to him
when Tatsuzo came in.
"I wish I knew what happened
regarding what I asked you about."
You're writing to Tachibana, eh?
Damn him!
The light's still on.
We made love for the first time there.
We did it,
but it was no fun.
Everyone knew about your affair,
so you two decided to stay at an inn?
Mr. Tachibana phoned me
the morning of April 23.
I took leave and went to see him.
APRIL 23
Listen.
About Okada
"February 26 Coup d'Etat"
Answer my question!
I don't like your attitude.
Some young military officers
rose up on February 26.
It shocked the whole nation.
You should take more interest
in current events.
I don't understand anything
about such affairs.
I understand only Okada.
He misses me. I must see him.
He's in an asylum
in Okayama Prefecture.
Where is it?
On an island.
Is he well?
I don't know.
What do you mean?
About Hansen's disease
I asked about him, not the disease.
Understand about the disease first,
or I won't tell you anything.
The cause is unknown.
Hansen's disease
is considered hopeless.
It's incurable.
The patients are isolated
from their families.
Nothing is reported about them.
Then I can't see him if I go?
No, you can't.
He won't see you either.
It's too much.
Nevertheless,
that's how today's Japan is.
Then I can understand those officers.
They tried to improve Japan!
Not so loud.
When someone plots something,
he first needs the world's help.
It's not easy.
Definitely not.
It's sad.
That's life.
Why aren't we meeting
at the usual inn?
I hate this place.
I must leave soon.
I brought your favorite food.
Physical love has only secondary meaning
between a man and woman.
A close rapport should come first.
Just someone holding your hand
seems to excite you.
You're easily aroused.
When you're with a man,
you must control yourself.
Good-bye.
I found his theories boring,
but at the same time
I regarded him as a great person.
Sada is telling us her story
It surprises people greatly
She never stoops along the way
Why is this, Okada?
I can't remember your face.
It hurts.
It pains my body, but
I walked on the beach alone.
Tatsuzo gave me a note
as I was going out.
I went to the inn
he mentioned in his note.
"See you at Yoshinoya Inn"
So you came.
I knew you'd come.
Come in.
Wasn't it cold?
Sit over here.
Though I must say,
when you're standing,
I can look at your cute butt.
Give me some sake too.
Sure. You drink?
You believe in omens?
Omens?
Drink up. I'll get more.
Why?
Omens?
I like to believe in omens.
Like: "She who drinks with me
will never leave me."
There are hundreds
of restaurants in Tokyo,
and lots of women
are training in them.
I know.
You chose mine.
That in itself was destiny.
Is that what you meant?
Yes.
- You're smarter than you look.
- My mind isn't my only strong point.
You really speak your mind!
What happened?
We're getting drunk.
Want to go to bed
before we're too drunk?
Is that what you wanted after all?
What are you saying?
What else would a married man
like me want from you?
We could enjoy talking
and then just say good-bye.
Talk?
About that coup d'tat
or things like that.
Don't try to sober me up.
You care about that?
It's big news, isn't it?
That's enough.
As I told you
You know, right? I'm
I know.
You're married and have children.
You can't spend money endlessly,
even if you own a restaurant.
Can you pay for this place?
You're mean when you're drunk.
What if I am?
Can you drop me just like that?
I can, and I will.
I'll drop you.
Thank you.
What's this?
Give me that.
What is it? Show me.
No.
Master.
Don't call me that.
I've liked you since I first met you.
I like you too.
We'll hold a wedding today.
We'll call geishas.
I'm glad. It sounds like fun.
That night we made love
over and over again.
That night I could relax
for the first time in a long time.
Before I realized it,
I found that my body
couldn't do without a man.
How many men had I known?
They were countless.
They had left me craving
a man's body.
Among the many
I had affairs with,
Tatsuzo was the best
in a sexual sense.
Even when dozing off,
he gently stroked my body all over.
For the first time,
I had met a man who could
care for me and really excite me.
I loved him and didn't want
to be apart from him.
But without money,
what could we do?
More, please.
Sada.
Okada...
You know how many men Sada has had?
No need to be mean.
APRIL 24
How dare you talk like that?
I've been patient
as a favor to Mr. Tachibana,
but I'll fire that bitch!
Give that to me!
Are you plotting to take over
by sleeping with the master?
If I were, wouldn't it be better
to go after you?
What a thing to say!
You're terrible.
You heard us, eh?
Why did you seduce my husband?
You're just kitchen help!
Can't the kitchen help
sleep with men?
He started all this.
Perhaps if his wife
were more attractive
What? Bitch!
Stop that!
You started it, you villain!
Nonsense!
What's the difference who started it?
Was he that good?
He was great!
And he said I was better than you.
Shall I call the police?
Idiot!
What did you think of Yoshi,
the madam?
I thought she was a fool
for bad-mouthing her husband.
What a mess!
Sada, wait!
Are you hurt?
No. It's nothing,
compared to the other pain.
What do you mean, the other pain?
Men wouldn't know.
Were you kicked out, too?
I was just an heiress's husband.
They say, "Never marry an heiress."
Don't make fun of me.
What'll you do now?
I have no idea.
What about you?
"My sorrow is stained.
What do I want?
What can I wish for?"
What's that?
A poem.
A young man wrote that sad poem.
"Stained sorrow...
dreams of death in lassitude."
"Lassitude"?
Yes.
It means feeling tired and dull.
So you want to die?
No, it's just a poem.
I'm all right.
Let's go to that inn again.
While you were fighting with Yoshi,
I stole some money.
I wish you happiness.
Doughnuts, please.
How come you like that stuff?
Thank you.
Hey, Sada.
Yes?
Why not toss those doughnuts?
Toss them?
Look.
I'll catch them.
Idiot!
You see? I'm still young, eh?
One, then two
Two, then three
Then four
Then five
Then finally six
What's that song?
It was years ago.
Maybe I sang it when I was a child.
It's coming back to you now?
No.
Now is like the past.
How many did you count
How many and how many
Count many numbers
They can bring tomorrow
They can bring back yesterday
That picture.
I've seen it somewhere.
It's by Yumeji.
He drew it.
Whether a poem or a painting,
I envy those who leave behind
something important.
I, on the other hand,
spend my life in vain.
As for me,
I'm beginning to find something
to live for.
What's Okada to you?
You called me Okada the other day.
You said his name.
I did?
Who is he?
He may not be you...
or he may be you.
What can it be?
I mean, a man's name.
What did you do
while you were with Tatsuzo?
For two weeks,
from April 24 to May 7,
we moved from inn to inn.
Normally people would get
tired of each other,
but I actually grew
more and more fond of him.
He went back to Yoshi to get money.
I was left alone for three days.
I was so jealous and impatient.
That was the hardest time of my life.
MAY 8
MAY 9
MAY 10
One, then two
Two, then three
Then four
Then five
Then finally six
Those three days seemed
like a month to me.
MAY 11
Did you miss me?
Yes.
Did you miss me too?
Yeah, but it was a rough time.
A horse went wild.
It kicked a girl.
I hope she's all right.
Was that the "rough time"?
No, that wasn't all.
Are you angry?
In a bad mood?
I was upset too.
You know Yoshi.
She was hard to convince.
Did you lay her too?
Did you let her feel you?
What?
Why do you let that bother you?
I know.
That's why she got jealous.
If we balanced our love on a scale,
I loved Tatsuzo
more than he loved me.
Hey, Tatsuzo!
I'm mad at you.
I'll never let you go back
to your wife again.
If you do, I'll kill us both!
As a joke,
I bound his wrists with a sash.
It made him happy.
He tickled me with his bound hands.
We hardly slept.
We made love till morning.
Tatsuzo.
He couldn't get money from his wife.
I decided to ask Tachibana for some.
I'm sorry to make you come so far.
MAY 16
I have work to do here anyway.
You're looking well.
That woman told me she fired you.
I was worried about you.
I didn't know where you were.
Are you here for another conference?
No.
I'll go to the usual inn with you.
Then I'll go home.
Welcome.
Coffee, please.
Is this your "work"?
A Calpis, please.
It's raining.
Let's take a trip together
for a few days.
We'll go to the Seto Inland Sea.
We'll see the island
where that student is.
We might get
some information on him.
What's wrong?
You were so eager before.
Don't bother about him anymore.
If he doesn't see me or write to me,
I feel as if
he were here all the time.
Please enjoy.
I'm beginning to understand
the things you tell me.
So please don't bother.
I see.
Then
let's not go to that inn together.
That's better, eh?
I'm sorry.
Here's 200 yen for you.
Keep in touch.
I'll send more.
Excuse me.
Would you have a match?
Thank you.
Isn't a man waiting for you?
If you have a beau, tell me.
I'll inquire about him.
I'll sponsor your wedding.
I think of you as my kid sister.
I'll take care of you even if I die.
It's as if you belonged
to another world.
I missed Tatsuzo so badly
and hurried back to him.
I'm lonely. So lonely.
What's wrong with you?
I'm very lonely somehow.
I'm here.
Just like usual.
It's odd, very odd.
I've never been so lonely.
You won't go away.
You won't leave me, will you?
Why not tie me up so I can't leave?
I wish I were a sash myself.
I could tie you up with my body.
Please strangle me.
Squeeze my throat.
Strangle me.
Let's stop.
Let's stop.
I feel sorry for you.
Then I'll strangle you.
I'll use this sash.
I'll stop you from breathing.
Stop it!
You're tickling me.
How can I make love like this?
Stop!
At first he enjoyed it.
He slapped his forehead
and made faces.
He was having fun.
When I squeezed his throat,
his belly trembled nicely.
I told him so.
If you like it,
I'll endure it,
even thought it hurts.
That's what he said.
I don't care what happens to my body.
He said that, too.
Hey, it's shrunk.
What happened?
My neck's hot.
Look what you did to me.
They're dead.
They got wet in the rain, huh?
Human life is short.
How long can birds live?
How brief!
They were alive just a while ago.
Everything dies someday.
I'm 42 already.
I've done almost everything
a man can do in his life.
As for the rest,
my assets are mortgaged.
It'll take a while,
but I'll help you open a restaurant.
Not a bad way
to spend the rest of my life.
I'm glad, but I'm sad, too.
- I suppose.
- If
If
Don't say that.
There are no "ifs" in life.
To live, you must stop saying "if."
Really?
Absolutely.
Let's drop this gloomy subject.
There may be no "ifs,"
but you're here, and that's for sure.
Let's go to bed.
Let's do it again.
Staying with you,
I'll end up a skeleton.
On the 17th,
you strangled Tatsuzo to death
in his sleep.
Tell us how it happened.
He kept saying
that he was sleepy.
As I watched him sleep,
MAY 17
he opened his eyes
and was glad to see me.
Listen.
After I fall asleep,
I'll bet you strangle me again.
He said so.
Then I said -
Yes.
I said so, laughing.
When you strangle me,
don't loosen your hands.
Otherwise it will hurt afterwards.
That time,
I wondered if he wanted me to kill him.
I thought so.
But soon afterward,
I thought he was only joking.
Before long, he fell asleep.
I reached with my right hand
and grabbed a pink sash.
I slid the end under his neck
and wound it twice.
I gripped both ends
and slowly strangled him.
Tatsuzo opened his eyes.
Saying that, he tried to hug me.
I pressed my head
to Tatsuzo's chest.
Forgive me!
I cried.
I pulled on the sash
as hard as I could.
Then I went downstairs
and looked around.
I saw a clock in the office.
It was a little past 2.00 a.m.
Why did you slice off his penis?
I thought if I carried it with me,
he would always be with me,
and I wouldn't feel lonely.
Why did you carve
your name into his flesh?
I wanted him to carry me
with him forever.
So I carved my name.
What did you do with his penis?
It was a keepsake he left me.
I wrapped it in special paper
and tucked it under my waistband.
What about the weapon?
I put it in my bag
and carried it with me.
It was a gift from someone special.
MAY 18
I'm going out for a while.
He's sleeping.
Don't wake him till noon.
If it isn't Sada!
Such a long time.
What a surprise!
You, in Tokyo?
What's up?
You look happy.
Has something good happened?
I feel as if something heavy
that had been here a long time
suddenly disappeared.
Is that so?
I heard your father died.
I didn't make it to his funeral.
Eighty-two? A nice long life.
A lot happens in this life, eh?
Where are you going?
Never mind.
We'll meet again.
Good-bye.
Good-bye. Take care.
Thank you.
Same to you.
What's this?
What happened?
His member has been cut off.
Cut off with a knife, perhaps.
A murder case?
- I'm not sure yet!
- Double suicide?
I wonder.
I've been a cop a long time,
but I've never seen anything like this.
Let's look for this woman Sada.
What were you doing
before your arrest?
That day,
I strolled along the riverbank.
Then I went to Asakusa
and saw a historical drama
at the movies.
Didn't you plan to run away?
Tatsuzo was dead, so I must die.
I thought so vaguely.
Besides, it started to rain,
so I didn't run away
but just wandered around town.
I sat on a park bench, thinking.
Then I decided
to meet Tachibana at his inn.
He happened to be in Tokyo.
Where are you going in this rain?
I can't just stay and get wet.
He said
Then why not come here?
I insisted on going
somewhere we'd never been.
We took a taxi towards Otsuka
and took a room at an inn.
I didn't tell him
that I'd killed Tatsuzo.
I was very vague.
Whatever may happen,
just think that you bought a whore.
You paid me.
I kept repeating things like that.
I knew how he felt at that time.
Let's go to bed.
I slept with him merely out of duty.
This has a secondary meaning
for you, right?
I hate to say this,
but you sort of stink.
MAY 19
Then we parted.
I moved to another inn by myself.
Although I tried
to kill myself there,
the transom was
too low to hang myself.
I couldn't die.
So I wrote to Tachibana and Tatsuzo,
who was already dead.
"You whom I loved most have died.
You became mine.
I will join you.
You are mine.
From Sada. "
"Dear Mr. Tachibana.
You said you'd help me
to live decently.
You treated me with love,
though you didn't satisfy me.
But it's for another reason
that I'm going to die. "
MAY 20
I couldn't mail the letter to Tatsuzo.
I asked a maid
to post my letter
to Tachibana the next day,
and thus his name
was disclosed to the world.
It caused him troubles,
and I'm sorry for that.
Then
I drank two bottles of beer.
I lay in bed, wondering how to die.
The police came about 4.00 p.m.
Yes, I'm Sada Abe.
Then they arrested me.
Here's a strange picture.
It was taken when she was arrested.
She's smiling, feeling relieved,
as she stated in her confession.
The cops are smiling too.
I wonder what that implies.
Actually, the Sada case was
looked upon favorably by the public.
Sada became a heroine,
a winner in love.
"This incident tells that
their plus and minus
satisfied each other."
Meaning?
The man and woman fit each other.
"Their plus and minus
satisfied each other
and led to this rare outcome."
It's the talk of the town.
Her lawyer's speech
softened up the public prosecutors.
She staked her life on love.
I envy her.
It was an act of love.
It sure is something great
in these gloomy times.
I'll applaud.
Loud enough for all to hear.
"What a problem for Mr. Tachibana!"
Last question:
You, the accused,
loved Tatsuzo, the victim,
so much that you wanted
to have him all for yourself,
even if you had to murder him?
What is the meaning of that?
I don't know.
I don't even know myself.
At that time, I did as I wished.
That's all.
Come to think of it,
it's hard to know
how anyone feels - even myself.
The trial began on May 20, 1936,
and ended on December 21.
The accused shall serve six years.
Do you have anything to say?
No.
A long time passed once again.
Everyone forgot about it.
If forgetting means dying,
I guess I died at that time.
On April 1, 1996,
the Anti-Leprosy Law,
which caused bias and segregation,
was abolished
90 years after it was enacted.
The island was opened to everyone.
But no one knows
where Okada went.
Sada's term was shortened
to five years.
She was released on May 17, 1941.
Some say she changed her name
and got married,
or that she staged a drama
about herself and toured Japan.
But everything faded
with the passing of time.
Few people know about Sada now.
Japan is in a dark age again.
But the Japanese
were beautiful in those days.
I felt that way.
It's been all of 61 years.
Sada's days are over, I guess.
I who fret like this
am no longer needed these days.
It's about time to exit this stage.
Well, then, good-bye, everyone.
Be careful.
How many did you count
How many and how many
Count many numbers
They can bring tomorrow
They can bring back yesterday
If Sada's still alive,
she'd be 93 years old.
Directed by
NOBUHI KO OBAYASHI