#4: Onibaba
Mid-60s Japanese horror — but does it hold up?
This review was originally posted on Twitter on August 7, 2018.
Initial release: 1964
Director: Kaneto Shindo
Kaneto Shindo’s other major horror work after Kuroneko, Onibaba relies heavily on atmosphere, sharp editing and some superb acting by Nobuko Otowa (who played a mother-in-law in both films) make up for what’s otherwise an overly-long psychological sexploitation flick.
In 14th-century Japan, two women kill passing soldiers of the civil war and sell their equipment for food. A neighbor returns from battle with the news that the son and husband of the women has been killed. Eventually the younger woman falls for the neighbor, enraging the mother.
The mother frequently tries to interfere with the relationship out of fear that the daughter-in-law will leave her. After killing a passing samurai in a demon mask and stealing it for herself, she uses it to frighten the daughter-in-law away from the neighbor’s place.
This is an uncomfortable film to watch, and that’s on purpose. The tall grass the characters lives among is all-encompassing and oppressive, giving a sense of claustrophobia and isolation. Scenes of violence happen quickly and suddenly, and the mother becomes increasingly menacing.
That being said, clearly the biggest driving force behind the film is sex — daughter-in-law and neighbor boy can’t keep their hands off each other at all. There are quite a lot of boobshots in the film, as well as a scene where the two of them run nude along a wooden pathway.
The neighbor boy (played by Kei Sato, who would return in Kuroneko as the governor Raiko) comes off as a bit of a creep, though he’s not thoroughly unsympathetic. Otawa’s acting is the high point, as a manipulative crone that feels like a template for every evil mother-in-law character ever.
All in all, though, in spite of its uncompromising nature, it’s just too sparse a story to justify the 102 minute duration… or the endless boobity. And a scene where the women kill a stray puppy for dinner (remember that they’re starving due to the war) could have been cut.
Ultimately, while I don’t regret watching this film, i don’t see myself watching it again anytime soon, especially when Kuroneko is by far the better film of the two.
