Kaneto Shindo

 Kaneto Shindo





The Naked Island (1960)

Onibaba (1964)




RANKED:


2. Onibaba (1964)


"Onibaba," or "Demon Hag" (yes, you read that correctly) by Japanese filmmaker Kaneto Shindo depicts the story of a mother-in-law using a demon mask to scare her daughter-in-law away from sexual infidelity. The most exhilarating quality of the film is its tonal and visual mastery of style that indicates a biblical or even post-apocalyptic aesthetic. This mastery of style by Shindo creates the atmosphere of something more in the realms of horror, despite little horror taking place. While "Onibaba" operates at a stylistic zenith, its more feeble attempts at symbolism drags down some of its thematic points.



1. The Naked Island (1960)


One might think that a film with no dialogue about a peasant family growing potatoes on a small island might not be that 'exciting.' However, Kaneto Shindo executed a profoundly spiritual story from the bare bones of a such a simple plot. His 1960 film "The Naked Island" is as concise as they come, and certainly is scraped of any excess. The moments of quiet and challenging labor becomes somewhat of a thrilling experience, and allows for interrupted moments to equal that of an explosion in a more action-oriented flick. However, the simplicity of the story and its execution make "The Naked Island" something far more existential. It's not very often that a quiet, dialogue-free film packs the punch of an intense genre, but Shindo's experimental creativity elevates it to echelons that I would be proud to put alongside the works of Tarkovsky or Bergman.

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