Taboo: Gay Samurai (Spoilers probable)

Cafe Society
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Rented a Japanese Samurai flick this weekend called “Taboo”. It starred Beat Takeshi, who I am somewhat familiar with since they showed his bizarre gameshow, Takeshi’s Castle in Germany. And Samurai movies are always cool. The plot centers around all of the relationships of a character, Sozaburi Kano (sp?), a young beautiful aristocrat’s son. He is an up and coming samurai with lots of talent and the Shizhen clan takes him in during their effort to straighten out Kyoto.

What I didn’t understand was the ending. Another young, attractive samurai, Soji, goes back to get something after he and one of the Captains, Hijikata, witness a fight between Kano and his lover, Toshira. Hijikata has some sort of internal revelation and you hear a sword slashing in the background. Then Hijikata yells and cuts down a beautiful cherry blossom tree. The tree must symbolize Kano, but what was happening off screen with the other sword sound? Hijikata says that Kano must have loved Soji. Was Soji then attacked? Did he cut off Toshira’s head? I really got lost at the end.

If anyone has seen this and had a better understanding of the ending I’d love to hear it.

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Well, I’m afraid I can’t help you on the ending of Gohatto (aka Taboo. I, too, was left puzzled. It’s not a movie I would watch again, and I didn’t add it to my collection. So, some of the particulars are a little fuzzy in my mind.

The “internal revelation” that you refer at the ending scene may be that Cpt. Hijikata finally realizes that the beauty of Kano is hiding a deep and destructive evil. I recall assuming that Kano likely killed Soji, although it is not shown (and I could be all wrong on that.) Cpt. Hijikata’s realization is reflected in his act of “evil” against the blossoming cherry tree (representing beauty.)

Not very deep, I know. And I get the sense that I’m missing something important.