Between keeping the cake and eating it.

Wild Geese (Gan, The Mistress, Japanese; 1953)

They are at a crossroad; between fulfilling their traditional roles playing the second level as the Rock of Gibraltar at the home level versus their empowerment to stand unaided against the elements of Nature. On one end, they have a biological duty to perform to justify their existence. On the other side, there is an element of not wanting to be typecast. What started as complementing one another has turned out as an inter-gender competition, a tit-for-tat. The barrage of information and the bombarding of call for reform proves too confusing. The constant fear of taken for a ride is palpable. They want the cake but eat it too, and ending up losing both; enjoy the ecstasy of being put on a pedestal and the joy of accomplishing biological duties. For some time now, probably from the turn into the 20th century, there has been a perpetual struggle between individualism and the need to fall in line with the demands of society.

This conundrum is apparently relevant today as much as it was in the Meiji-era Japan. When Commodore Perry landed in Japan in 1853, the Japanese who till then had strict isolation policies were shocked. They thought evil men had arrived in their mythical dragon. After initial resistance, they relented to allow American to stop, trade, refuel and repair their vessels. Rather than risk being colonised, they thought of mimicking the enemy. Years later, Emperor Meiji started social and economic reforms. Samurais had to shed their swords for pens. People shed their traditional grabs for western clothes. There was a push to learn, excel and push shoulder-to-shoulder to other sex but, at the same time, women had to find their places in society in the midst of this confusion - between a patriarchal system that had laid rules for gender roles, of a system that brings one down versus women empowerment where one demands what is needed.

Against this background, this film is set. Otama is considered a curse for being a discard. The man she married to turned out to have been married before, with kids. She left, leading a life as a burden and a source of misery to her old father. A devious family friend, wanting to write-off her debts with a loan shark, arranges a meeting with a supposed grieving shopkeeper widower in view of re-marriage. In actual fact, the man is her moneylender. He is unhappily married with kids, looking for a mistress.

The shenanigan is soon discovered. Things get complicated when the moneylender becomes possessive of her and Otama falls head over heel in love with a cash-strapped medical student with big ambitions. Is she going to screw up the plans of a capable young man with her selfish desires? Is he going to give up his offer to work in Europe for love? Where does the arrangement with the moneylender go? Is Otama going to continue living with the dubious reputation of being 'the other woman'?

Rather than trying to outdo each other, there is a need to reach common grounds. Both sexes have their biological and functional roles in society. Their functions, over the years, much like anything in else, have been shoved down their throats. Everyone is equipped with different capacities and capabilities. The society will benefit from harnessing the best out of both parties. It is not a race.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.