Dogra Magra is a Japanese sci-fi horror movie from 1987 written and directed by Toshio Matsumoto (Demons, Funeral Parade of Roses and The War of the 16 Year Olds). The film stars Yoji Matsuda (Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time), Shijaku Katsura (Futarikko, Handsome Man and Ex Terebi), Hideo Murota (Kagemusha, Samurai Reincarnation and Original Sin), and Kyoko Enami (The Fall of Ako Castle, Gamera vs Barugon and Tsugaru Jongarabushi).

A young man (Matsuda) wakes in a grimy cell in an asylum, he has no recollection of how he came to be there or who he is. He is visited by Dr Wakabayashi (Murota), who tells him that his lack of memories can be attributed to the traumatic events that he has been through. He has allegedly tried to murder his own bride-to-be on their wedding day. Dr Wakabayashi tells the man his former colleague Dr Masaki (katsura) who died a month earlier, spent years validating the concept of IPC, the Inherited Psycholgical Condition, which means that certain psychological states can be passed down through the familial bloodline. Slowly, the young man tries to piece together exactly what happened to him and his fiancée.

Based on the novel by Kyusaku Yumeno, Dogra Magra is a fascinating and surreal cinematic tour de force from the acclaimed director, Toshio Matsumoto. A dark, hallucinatory mystery that draws the viewer ever further into its web of intrigue with stunning visuals and a richly convoluted plot that never feels too complicated but asks enough of the viewer to hold their interest. I’ve seen it compared in the past to Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island, which seems a fair analogy, however this film feels a little more philosophical than Scorsese’s thriller.

The film itself, looks incredible with some gorgeous cinematography from Tatsuo Suzuki. The cast are great, with some very strong performances across the board and the whole thing just seems to fit together perfectly. Dogra Magra is the final film of director Toshio Matsumoto’s career and a fitting epitaph to one of the most underappreciated masters of Japanese cinema.

This new Blu-ray release from Radiance is the first time the movie has been made available outside of Japan. The disc features the new high-definition transfer of the movie supervised by director, Matsumoto and producer Shuji Shibata alongside an audio commentary with Matsumoto, interviews and a visual essay by Julian Ross and a short video showing a performance of the Ahodara Sutra by legendary street performer Hiroshi Sakano. This is a limited release of only 3000 copies that also features a limited edition booklet with essays and interviews and a reversible sleeve featuring both original and newly commissioned artwork.

Overall this is a great package for an underappreciated gem of Japanese cinema. Dogra Magra is a thoroughly enjoyable surreal masterpiece that is every bit as compelling as the films of David Lynch, Alejandro Jodorowsky or Fernando Arrabal, but less celebrated.