Review of Woman in the Dunes (1964) by Aimee A — 19 Apr 2010

Having just finished seeing for the first time "Suna no onna", or "Woman in the dunes" in its English title, I am still almost out of breath, completely overwhelmed by the beautiful thing I have just watched.

It is very difficult to describe this movie. Some may call it dull, lengthy (but I don't think ever boring), some may call it arty or philosophical or metaphorical, some may call it erotic, some an insightful dive on human emotions or strikingly beautiful in terms of imagery.

It can be all these things but only one thing I think can be consensual: this movie is a masterpiece. It is brilliant, and certainly amongst the chosen few of the greatest films of all time. The film starts with beautiful images of a sea of endless sand.

A professor is catching bugs for his collection. He dwells a lot on the beautiful seaside scenery and realizes he missed the last bus. A few villagers tell him that he can spend the night in a nearby house.

This is a very particular house. It is located on a canyon amidst the dunes and the only access is through a lowered ladder from above. He descends. The house is occupied by a young widow, who spends the entire day preventing the sand from consuming the house.

The next morning the man realizes he was tricked by the villagers. He tries to climb the cliff of sand but can't. The villagers had put him there to work, to clean and dig the sand. They send food down every week.

He can't escape. This is the set-up. The real movie starts as he and the woman have to live together in this confined maddening space, with sand everywhere, in their house, in their skins, in their minds.

The woman is conformed to this existence, but he isnâ??t and tries several times to escape. There is an erotic tension between them and much happens, but sex is never really specifically shown (60s japanese movie.

..). And all the while they fight against nature. If they refuse to work, the sand conquers their house and their souls, and the villagers don't send food nor water. They get more and more paranoid, and eventually nature starts to win over them, at the same time as they reveal their true nature to each other.

.. This film is a brilliant study of human nature and existentialism in a confined space, delivered in an almost fantasy-like fashion and through a striking black-and-white photography. Director Hiroshi Teshigahara did a brilliant job.

When pushed to the edge, man cannot escape himself and can never defeat the power of nature. The sand has a hypnotic power and, as it slides, so it shatters the nerves of human emotions. In 2 and a half hours, the movie takes its time in showing this descent into the pit.

The ending is tragic, ironic, but somewhat predictable. Yet it is the underlying message (to each its own interpretation, I have mine) and the powerful images that make this movie unforgettable. An incredible piece of work, which will strike the hearts of the more sensitive moviegoers.

Recommend it to those passionate for passionate cinema, for those who are moved by balletic pieces of work where the essence of the soul clashes with the essence of nature.