Onibaba

  Due to some schedule changes brought about by availability, it's been a minute since I’ve covered a film that I hadn’t seen before (the last was The Tingler back in March). While it has been fun to revisit some old (and new) favorites, it was exciting to discover a new-to-me classic.

Onibaba was written and directed by Kaneto Shindo (Children of Hiroshima) and was released on November 21st, 1964. Onibaba received positive reviews upon its release.

Onibaba is set in 14th century Japan and follows a pair of women who kill soldiers who come across their path and steal their possessions. All is well until they encounter Hachi (Kei Satō, Kuroneko), a man who begins to come between the two women.

Onibaba is a beautifully shot film with strong performances from its three leads. Nobuko Otawa (Story of a Beloved Wife) as the unnamed Older Woman is the stand-out character and her scenes with her daughter-in-law, the similarly unnamed Younger Woman (Jitsuko Yoshimura, Pigs and Battleships), provide the backbone of the film.

Unfortunately, despite the style displayed both on and behind the camera, the film’s narrative is undermined by the sexual relationship between the Younger Woman and Hachi. The film struggles to justify why the Younger Woman is so easily seduced by the absolutely repulsive Hachi. The fact that the narrative of the film hinges on this development creates a dramatic disconnect between the story being told and the visual elements.

Still, it’s a remarkably made film and if one can look past the unfortunate inciting incident they will likely enjoy the film quite a bit. Plus, the ending is stellar.

Rating: 3 giant pits out of 5

Other Observations:

• Does the Dog Die? The women brutally beat a wild dog to death for food.

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: It’s not particularly scary, but the Older Woman’s scene with the Masked Samurai (Jukichi Uno, Life of a Woman) is wonderfully tense. 

• I would be remiss not to mention that as a Western viewer it’s likely (probable even) that I’m missing quite a bit of nuance in this Japanese tale.

Next Week: I’m celebrating my birthday with the gator thriller Crawl!