Believers

Believers, a haunting psychological drama, is set on a picturesque yet isolated island in the midst of endless blue waters, where three devoted cult members are living in strict compliance with the Deserted Island Program. Their society is governed by rigid hierarchies, as the members refer to one another by rank rather than names. Among them are Ono, the seemingly straightforward and by-the-book leader of the group, Katsuragi, the lovable but rebellious troublemaker, and Sawa, the soft-spoken yet charismatic opposite sex element, who appears to be the link between the two. At the outset, all three adhere to the program's set of disciplines, attempting to perfect their bodies and purify their minds through meditation, dieting, and fasting. Their days are a blur of structured activities, exercise routines, and tedious chores, all geared towards helping the trio escape the supposedly polluting effects of modern society. Ono, the chief enforcer of discipline, pushes his brethren relentlessly to reach the highest levels of spiritual attainment. However, cracks in their monolithic facade gradually begin to show as time goes by. Beneath the illusion of infallibility and platonic relationships, temptation starts to wreak havoc. The pressures of being confined to such a vast and isolated area begin to bear down on Katsuragi and Sawa more and more. What starts off as carefree jests and grudges develop deeper emotional undertones as the duo's affinity with one another progresses. Katsuragi develops an increasingly unhealthy fixation on Sawa, his presence in her eyes clouded by an unmistakable personal animus, while she remains oblivious of his long-held intimate desire. Little do they realize that an inevitability of sexual tension has invaded their heretofore impassive relationship with potentially cataclysmic results for their fragile, seemingly secure world. As their feelings begin to simmer, it becomes inevitable that those around them, especially Ono, begin to be concerned about potential deviations from the preordained rigid manner in which they've chosen to order their lives. Katsuragi's desire gets to the point where he takes risks and endangers his relationship with Sawa. Tensions eventually escalate, culminating in Ono finally taking discernible note of his cohorts unsettling close relationship as Katsuragi's inner world unravels before his eyes. Ono sees an immediate threat to the established order of things and decides to take a necessary course of action to rectify the tension arising in the usually insular domain. In a stunning crescendo, Believers finds its themes reaching a height of heightened emotional intensity. Katsuragi's inner frustration combines with Sawa's disquiet to come to the fore in various heated outbursts that threaten to upend their predetermined way of life. But the resolution put in motion within Believers leaves nothing to the imagination - love and human longings that would never have sprouted on the confines of their heavily stratified, perfectly controlled commune ultimately manage to culminate in a despair-ridden collision between true emotions and unyielding dictums set up by man. It ultimately turns out that, Katsuragi, weighed down by feelings that Sawa seems to reciprocate, has an unhappy choice to make. He realises and lets out what's really going on through a desperate in-pulse to just let loose of the hermit-like seclusion he as a member of the cult had accepted. He expresses to Sawa the overpowering attraction and deep love he had developed for her during her time on "The Island". In spite of Sawa feeling humiliated and taken aback, and not wishing to share this new and overwhelming intimacy with Ono who will probably frown upon it, the two must take it to its height and explore each other on the shores of their island.