Review of Woman in the Dunes (1964) by Ryan M — 03 Apr 2010

An Entemologist who wants to find a new type of beetle to get his name published searches a village in the desert is caught daydreaming by some locals. He's missed the last bus back to the city so they take him to a widow's house situated inside a sandpit that can only be accessed via a rope ladder.

However, the next morning he discovers that the ladder has been removed by the locals and he has been tasked with helping the woman in her fulltime job of sand shoveller: To keep her home from being submerged in the dune and to sell the sand to major cities under-the-table for decent money.

What follows from this relatively simple yet slightly absurd storyline is an outstanding examination of human life exposed to inhospitable conditions, man's relation to its environment and society and how we find meaning in our lives, whether through personal achievement, love or out of a sense of duty in helping our society.

It also helps that the film is utterly gorgeous (although the print I saw was so dark in some places it was hard to figure out what was happening), the sand which surrounds the house is more like an omnipresent force than mere background decoration.

Toru Takemitsu's haunting score adds an extra layer of tension and fear into the mix and the acting is top notch from everyone. Hiroshi Teshigahara became the first Japanese director to be nominated for an Oscar for this film, it's a breathtaking film that succeeds on so many levels it's frightening, an absolute masterpiece, I can't wait to see the director's cut!