The Lower Depths (1957 film)

1957 Japanese drama film

The Lower Depths (どん底) is a 1957 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, the screenplay by Hideo Oguni and Akira Kurosawa, based on the 1902 play The Lower Depths by Maxim Gorky.

The film explores the Nietzschean theme that Buddhism (and religiousness in general) verges on nihilism by presenting two archetypal characters, the pilgrim and the gambler, who share a contentment that contrasts with the self conscious existentialism of the other characters. The pilgrim’s grace derives from believing that nothing on Earth matters because rewards are found in the afterlife; the gambler also believes nothing matters, but rather because he rejects religion and morality, seeking pleasure from life rather than purpose. Because both belief systems reject earthly matters and result in contentment, philosophers sometimes link Buddhism with nihilism; in Kurosawa’s plot arc, the nihilistic gambler succeeds in outlasting the pilgrim, whose promises are unfulfilled and result in a character’s suicide, which the gambler mocks. This fatalistic tone contrasts with Kurosawa’s more humanistic approach in other films, and is regarded as a reason for the film's mixed response upon its release in Japan. In addition, such overt representation of downtrodden, hopeless characters (albeit from a different era) was rare in early post occupation Japan's popular media, which attempted to downplay allusions to an underclass struggling with societal changes wrought by the war and its aftermath.

The Lower Depths received a roadshow theatrical release on September 17, 1957 by Toho. It received general release in Japan on 1 October 1957. The Lower Depths has an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on six critics' opinions.