Hotoke on AllMovie

Two siblings learn that blood may be thicker than water, but jealousy can poison them both in this drama from Japan. Rai (Shinji Tadeka) and Shiba (Ryuichi Oura) are brothers living in a fishing village along the Japanese coast. Rai and Shiba are as different as night and day; Rai is a quiet and well-manned young man with a pronounced spiritual bent and a tendency to forgive those who have wronged him, while Shiba has a cruel streak, treats those around him with contempt, and makes his living stealing catch from other fishermen in the community. Rai tries to forgive his brother for his transgressions, but he begins to reach his limit when Shiba takes up with a blind girl from the neighborhood (Yuma). While the woman obviously loves Shiba, he shows her little respect, and when Rai falls in love with her, he finds it difficult to stand back and let his brother go on hurting her. Hotoke marked the directorial debut of Jinsei Tsuji, well-known in Japan as a musician; not surprisingly, he also composed the film's score.