I decided to give this film a watch upon recommendation by Mark Kermode. Thought it most certainly wasn't as terrifying as he hyped it up to be, it was still masterfully directed and eerie for a 1964 film. Onibaba feels very contemporarily shot.
The inba swamp was an almost limbo-like setting and incredibly atmospheric. The camerawork at times almost gives off the impression that the swamp itself is alive, and natural sound and a lacking in any musical composition is highly weaponized.
However, I feel as if this film is quite the tough watch. Inspired by a story of a woman using a mask to scare her daughter from entering a Buddhist temple, the entire film is based around an old lady essentially trying to stop her daughter in law from having it on with her neighbour, and that point only comes about at the very END of the film.
It starts masterfully, with the two living a nomadic life and salvaging what they can by murdering deserters from a war, but the entire mid-section of the film is just the daughter sneaking off to go see Uchi, and then the Mother taking issue. It picks up after the masked man appears but the film still trudges. Taking the film from face value, it really has no need to be as long as it is.
If you want a unique and unusual watch, go for it. If you're a casual filmgoer, I'd suggest avoiding this film.
The inba swamp was an almost limbo-like setting and incredibly atmospheric. The camerawork at times almost gives off the impression that the swamp itself is alive, and natural sound and a lacking in any musical composition is highly weaponized.
However, I feel as if this film is quite the tough watch. Inspired by a story of a woman using a mask to scare her daughter from entering a Buddhist temple, the entire film is based around an old lady essentially trying to stop her daughter in law from having it on with her neighbour, and that point only comes about at the very END of the film.
It starts masterfully, with the two living a nomadic life and salvaging what they can by murdering deserters from a war, but the entire mid-section of the film is just the daughter sneaking off to go see Uchi, and then the Mother taking issue. It picks up after the masked man appears but the film still trudges. Taking the film from face value, it really has no need to be as long as it is.
If you want a unique and unusual watch, go for it. If you're a casual filmgoer, I'd suggest avoiding this film.