Hiroshi Teshigahara on the film - "The woman who lives in the dunes and the teacher who visits her are not symbols of a backward element in society and an advanced one. The story could take place in any corner of the world. The sandpit is meant to have an international meaning, not one particular to the Japanese. It symbolizes society itself. You could find such a sandpit in New York or San Francisco, or anywhere in the world. Like society, it is ever shifting and continuously moving. It doesn’t rest a moment. It is relentless."
(...)
"In many cases living is comprised of continuing to do things the way they have always been done. Digging the sand reflects how people structure their lives according to custom. In this sense it is a metaphor. The society is the whole assembled by the small radius of each individual’s activity. The woman is not protecting herself against society. Rather, she is performing her duty as a member of society. You must remember that she is a very ordinary woman. She behaves as her ancestors had behaved. It is a simple primitive act. As a result, the young man joins in with her to sustain the obligation. Do not think that she is fighting against or protecting her life from something. The shoveling should be seen as the theme of the film. The shoveling of the sand is the symbol of the duty itself which should be performed as one’s function. I would offer you one more example. We have a fishing rights problem in the Northern Sea. These fishermen have to catch fish to live. Suppose a Russian vessel comes by and catches the boat and the fishermen. Their survival is threatened, so they try to manage somehow. The woman in the dunes is doing just that. She has to shovel sand; otherwise she would lose the house, and hence the village would eventually be destroyed. She has no choice but to do what she is supposed to do."
I've only just seen it for the first time, but it's already earned a spot on my list of favorite films. Gorgeous to look at, full of atmosphere, it's like a dark and moody Japanese fairytale. Beautiful.
How did Hiroshi Teshigahara make Woman in the Dunes? When such a thought comes into my head at various points in a movie, you've already won me over on the technicals. Teshigahara starts by making a sandy beach into a sinister space, as only he could, then moves the action to a house absurdly built in a sand pit, where an insect collector is tricked into helping the woman living there dig to feed a factory somewhere in this village. The sand's erosive qualities acts as a corruptive influence, gets into everything, and creates a situation that's prime existentialist cinema. There are many filters to watch this through, including a supernatural one (if you told me the woman was a sand spirit/demon, I could be convinced). It's also the picture of a marriage of convenience, where the characters are doomed to dig themselves out of debt for the rest of their lives. Even keeping a roof above one's head is an ordeal in this universe. Beyond that surface, it can be about an human endeavor, and finding joy/life in an inescapable world built on cruelty, God's own insect collection. And lest I make it sound like it can only be understood from an intellectual position, it also works as a "mad village" thriller (The Wicker Man, etc.), but with an atypical location that must have been a real bear to shoot in. Needless to say, it looks AMAZING.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 19
zkrat
Powerful almost apocalyptic existentialism. A true work of art.Rosenrotta
A genuine masterpiece, for me easily one of the ten best films ever made.Rodney Dangerfield
Brilliant. A bizarre and enthralling story and some of the best cinematography I've ever seen."Do you shovel to survive, or survive to shovel?"
Paper_Okami
Brilliant and unique an erotic thriller in a very limited setting.Dieguito
Superb masterpiece!! Fantastic visuals in a brilliant Kafka style thriller.akuma587
I cannot say enough good things about this film. One of the most unique films I have ever seen.K.
Hiroshi Teshigahara on the film - "The woman who lives in the dunes and the teacher who visits her are not symbols of a backward element in society and an advanced one. The story could take place in any corner of the world. The sandpit is meant to have an international meaning, not one particular to the Japanese. It symbolizes society itself. You could find such a sandpit in New York or San Francisco, or anywhere in the world. Like society, it is ever shifting and continuously moving. It doesn’t rest a moment. It is relentless."(...)
"In many cases living is comprised of continuing to do things the way they have always been done. Digging the sand reflects how people structure their lives according to custom. In this sense it is a metaphor. The society is the whole assembled by the small radius of each individual’s activity. The woman is not protecting herself against society. Rather, she is performing her duty as a member of society. You must remember that she is a very ordinary woman. She behaves as her ancestors had behaved. It is a simple primitive act. As a result, the young man joins in with her to sustain the obligation. Do not think that she is fighting against or protecting her life from something. The shoveling should be seen as the theme of the film. The shoveling of the sand is the symbol of the duty itself which should be performed as one’s function. I would offer you one more example. We have a fishing rights problem in the Northern Sea. These fishermen have to catch fish to live. Suppose a Russian vessel comes by and catches the boat and the fishermen. Their survival is threatened, so they try to manage somehow. The woman in the dunes is doing just that. She has to shovel sand; otherwise she would lose the house, and hence the village would eventually be destroyed. She has no choice but to do what she is supposed to do."
majikal
innovative, sensual and truly memorable.thijmensietsma
An instant favorite! Great setting and beautifully shot. I love the shots of the sand.MrE2Me
No such thing as "too gothic."I've only just seen it for the first time, but it's already earned a spot on my list of favorite films. Gorgeous to look at, full of atmosphere, it's like a dark and moody Japanese fairytale. Beautiful.
Borvaran
Some people disliked this movie? TAKE THEM OUT! This is the best movie I have seen in YEARS.Shingwauk
Mesmerizing. Great contrast of sand and water which in itself shows the dichotomy of self.Robbimich
Weird film, I really can't explain what I was watching, but I definitely liked it.Qwijybo
Amazing. Also amazed this one flew so far under my radar given all the lists, checks, and favorites this has.Siskoid
How did Hiroshi Teshigahara make Woman in the Dunes? When such a thought comes into my head at various points in a movie, you've already won me over on the technicals. Teshigahara starts by making a sandy beach into a sinister space, as only he could, then moves the action to a house absurdly built in a sand pit, where an insect collector is tricked into helping the woman living there dig to feed a factory somewhere in this village. The sand's erosive qualities acts as a corruptive influence, gets into everything, and creates a situation that's prime existentialist cinema. There are many filters to watch this through, including a supernatural one (if you told me the woman was a sand spirit/demon, I could be convinced). It's also the picture of a marriage of convenience, where the characters are doomed to dig themselves out of debt for the rest of their lives. Even keeping a roof above one's head is an ordeal in this universe. Beyond that surface, it can be about an human endeavor, and finding joy/life in an inescapable world built on cruelty, God's own insect collection. And lest I make it sound like it can only be understood from an intellectual position, it also works as a "mad village" thriller (The Wicker Man, etc.), but with an atypical location that must have been a real bear to shoot in. Needless to say, it looks AMAZING.Showing items 1 – 15 of 19