Loosely based on a Buddhist fable warning against the evils of bitterness that is Onibaba. The Director Kaneto Shindo, has created a psychosexual tale of dubious morality and unrequited lust which is a fantastic cautionary fable with a dark and unique atmosphere all of its own, which in my mind puts it up with the greats of the horror genre.
The plot revolves around two women who live in feudal Japan who live in mysterious marshlands who keep themselves alive off the death of wandering soldiers by selling there armour and clothes. This allows them to survive while the younger woman (Nobuko Otowa)'s husband and the older woman (Jitsuko Yoshimura)'s son is away fighting in the wars. However, all of a sudden they find the very nature of their daily existence thrown into turmoil by anger, fear and jealousy, brought on by a man named Hachi (Kei Sato), their neighbour. He returns from the wars with the news that the younger woman's husband is dead, and although initially distrustful, the wife strikes up a passionate affair with him... much to the disgust of the older woman, whose anger is not so much derived from a sense of immorality but that the older woman is jealous of the younger woman as she to seeks a passionate night with a man also, but later she realises that her younger accomplice might leave with Hachi and have her fend for herself, which turns her jealously to fear. Then, one night, a chance encounter with a passing soldier who wears a terrifying demon mask gives a plan to the conniving old woman involving a demonic visage and the daughter-in-law's natural fear of hell. However not all goes to plan...
Stunningly beautifully photography by Kiyomi Kuroda which at times gravely still and voyeuristic, at others, frightfully haunting, the cinematography breathes as much life into this film as any of the characters it captures. Also set to Hikaru Hayashi's unique score, which combines a 60s jazzy aesthetic with a more traditional drum based sound, Onibaba is frightening not so much for genuine horror moments but for the fact that it serves as a warning for what human beings are capable of. Like the best parables, it transcends its location and time period and still resonates to this day with its darker aspects of lust and hate.
The plot revolves around two women who live in feudal Japan who live in mysterious marshlands who keep themselves alive off the death of wandering soldiers by selling there armour and clothes. This allows them to survive while the younger woman (Nobuko Otowa)'s husband and the older woman (Jitsuko Yoshimura)'s son is away fighting in the wars. However, all of a sudden they find the very nature of their daily existence thrown into turmoil by anger, fear and jealousy, brought on by a man named Hachi (Kei Sato), their neighbour. He returns from the wars with the news that the younger woman's husband is dead, and although initially distrustful, the wife strikes up a passionate affair with him... much to the disgust of the older woman, whose anger is not so much derived from a sense of immorality but that the older woman is jealous of the younger woman as she to seeks a passionate night with a man also, but later she realises that her younger accomplice might leave with Hachi and have her fend for herself, which turns her jealously to fear. Then, one night, a chance encounter with a passing soldier who wears a terrifying demon mask gives a plan to the conniving old woman involving a demonic visage and the daughter-in-law's natural fear of hell. However not all goes to plan...
Stunningly beautifully photography by Kiyomi Kuroda which at times gravely still and voyeuristic, at others, frightfully haunting, the cinematography breathes as much life into this film as any of the characters it captures. Also set to Hikaru Hayashi's unique score, which combines a 60s jazzy aesthetic with a more traditional drum based sound, Onibaba is frightening not so much for genuine horror moments but for the fact that it serves as a warning for what human beings are capable of. Like the best parables, it transcends its location and time period and still resonates to this day with its darker aspects of lust and hate.
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