Movie No. 167 (2013): THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA
The Ballad of Narayama (1983)
Director: Shohei Imamura
Cast: Sumiko Sakamoto, Ken Ogata
In Japanese, with English subtitles
Winner, Palm D'Or Cannes Film Festival 1983
The movie is an examination of the rituals and customs of a remote fictional village in Northern Japan. There's the ritual sex. There's the custom of practically "dumping" old people in the summit of a mountain (Narayama) once they reach 70 to die, as a form of sacrifice to the deities believed to live in the summit.
Director: Shohei Imamura
Cast: Sumiko Sakamoto, Ken Ogata
In Japanese, with English subtitles
Winner, Palm D'Or Cannes Film Festival 1983
The movie is an examination of the rituals and customs of a remote fictional village in Northern Japan. There's the ritual sex. There's the custom of practically "dumping" old people in the summit of a mountain (Narayama) once they reach 70 to die, as a form of sacrifice to the deities believed to live in the summit.
The movie, with its gore, violence, and people in inhuman conditions, is not for the faint-heart. There are two things that will linger on my mind for some time: the bleak cinematography and the last minutes leading to the movie's conclusion, which is the ascent, which is simply heartbreaking. The snow in the end left me cold.
Rating: 4.0/4.0
Date seen: September 8, 2013
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