Onibaba

Director - Kaneto Shindo
Year - 1964

Onibaba is an excellent example of the Japanese new wave, a movement that started in the late 50s. The new wave was created by the generation of film directors who grew up during WWII and its subsequent aftermath. The war changed a lot of things within Japanese culture but nothing more so than the way in which young people perceived the past or 'traditional' Japan. The new wave generation had witnessed the aggression their country had dealt and in return witnessed the devastating power of the atomic bomb. Gone where the days of respect and politeness, the dawn of ugliness was rising. The new wave focused on depicting the darker side of humanity and the changes within the Japanese youth culture, as a result many films were criticised for showing Japan in a 'negative light', yet the audiences (especially the younger audiences who could relate with the films) lapt them up. So the New Wave boomed.

Anyway, more on the new wave later...

...back to the film. Onibaba is set in rural Japan during the fourteenth century. War is raging and the lands are in disarray. A young woman and her mother-in-law live in a small hut within the midst of a vast grass field. With the men at war the women find life difficult so they make a living by killing Samurai who foolishly stubble into their long grass. The women strip the bodies and sell their armour and weapons for food. All seems to be going swimmingly for the two women until the arrival of Hachi. Hachi went to war with the husband of the young woman/son of the in-law, but has returned alone. Hachi tells the bereaved that their husband/son is dead and that he is lucky to have escaped with his life. Its not long before Hachi joins the two women in their 'murder-for-profit' scheme and shortly after Hachi and the young woman start a lustful relationship. Obviously the mother-in-law isn't happy with the relationship. She thinks it's sinful for Hachi to betray his friend by sleeping with his widowed wife but more importantly she fears that the young women will leave her for Hachi, rendering her practically useless.
One night a Samurai stumbles across the in-laws hut. The Samurai is wearing a demon mask and he is lost. The mother-in-law agrees to show him out of the grass field. She strategically kills the samurai and steals his mask. Being the evil genius that she is, the mother-in-law uses the mask to scare her daughter-in-law and Hachi into never seeing each other again. Unfortunately her plan backfires hideously.

Onibaba isn't a true horror film (although the final scene will cause many sleepless nights). It's a psychological thriller that plays upon claustrophobia and isolation. The films scenes are split by close-ups of grass slowly swaying in the wind. These short shots constantly remind us that the film is set in a micro-cosmos, it works so effectively that you barley remember that a world exists outside of the films minuscule proximity. The minimal locations (only two huts actually appear in the whole duration) completely draw us into the characters lives and the world in which they occupy. Kaneto uses character progression and narrative to full effect. The director constantly pits us against each character and slowly unfolds the darker side of their personalities. The characters we are initially introduced to are not the same people by the end of the film. We sympathise with the mother-in-law because without the young women she will be completely alone and helpless yet in perfect symmetry we want the young women and Hachi to be together. As a result we end up simultaneously disliking and sympathising for each character. Even though the characters participate in cruel and selfish acts, deep down we know that they are committing these acts out of desperation underlined by the urge for true happiness. This is what makes the final scene so horrific. Its torture because we want all the characters to be at peace, yet we know its not going to work out that way.

Onibaba is a visual masterpiece. Its shot in black and white by cinematographer Kiyomi Kuroda. Even though colour film had been readily available in Japan since the early 50s, many of the new wave films opted to use black and white. The main reason behind this decision was probably funding but Onibaba benefits from the two-tone aesthetic. The films high contrast and dark cinematography perfectly match the films equally dark tone. Quite often the distinction between day and night is hard to tell but that just further adds to the films claustrophobic atmosphere. Onibaba makes particularly good use of fast paced editing and off-kilter camera angels to heighten the sense of disorientation and confusion the characters themselves are feeling.

What Onibaba does so well is combine tradition Japanese life with the the new wave society. It's almost like watching an episode of Eastenders set during the dark ages (but much better of course). The themes of Onibaba focus on generation differences and how war degrades people, both of which are key staples in the new wave movement. The 'generation difference' is forefront throughout the entire film. The young women wants to have a lustful relationship and desperately desires to cut all ties with the in-law. Traditional society would have frowned upon both of these wishes heavily, yet her determination and unwillingness to abide her elder is a statement of the Japanese youth during that period of time, much to their elders protest.

Overall, Onibaba is a perfect starting point for those interested in the Japanese new wave. Its also a decent alternative for those who have only been exposed to the huge batch of mediocre Tartan Asia Extreme releases and the more contemporary offerings from Third Window Films. Much of contemporary Japanese horror are heavily influenced by the new wave masterpieces of the 60s and 70s, so you owe it to yourself to watch this timeless classic that is still as impacting and disturbing today as it was when it was released over 45 years ago.