Niki Jumpei is an entomologist out searching for insects in the sandy desert. He misses the last bus home and winds up being the "guest" of a woman living at the bottom of a large excavation some twenty feet in the sand below the desert. When Niki goes to leave, the rope ladder he came down on has been removed. So, he is stuck down there and spends a good part of this two and a half hour movie trying to get out of the hole. If that setup does not appeal to you, then you might give this a pass. This movie produced such a sense of claustrophobia in me, that I had to pause it about half way through to go out for a walk.
The relationship that develops between Niki and his host (not always platonic) provides some interest, but the real heart of the story centers on the changes in outlook that Niki experiences after being in the pit for several years. I greatly appreciate a story that is believable but also works as allegory, like Camus' "The Plague," but here we have an unbelievable story that is bent to support an allegoric interpretation. We are exhorted to discover that we can find meaning in a restricted sphere of experience. This is not a novel idea and I find it ironic that the artists who advance this theme usually are leading full, rich lives.
The black and white cinematography is a plus. The opening scene focuses on a grain of sand at a microscopic level and then the camera draws out in a sequence of shots that finally wind up with a desert shot. A goal throughout the movie must have been to photograph sand in as many creative ways as possible.
The sparse score by Tôru Takemitsu is notable.
I felt sorry for the actors who had to spend so much time in the sand. They must have welcomed a good shower after a day of shooting.
I think that the reason that this film gets consistently high marks is because that someone who is familiar with the plot and still chooses to watch it is someone who would be inclined to like it. I thought that that would be the case for me, but it wasn't.
The relationship that develops between Niki and his host (not always platonic) provides some interest, but the real heart of the story centers on the changes in outlook that Niki experiences after being in the pit for several years. I greatly appreciate a story that is believable but also works as allegory, like Camus' "The Plague," but here we have an unbelievable story that is bent to support an allegoric interpretation. We are exhorted to discover that we can find meaning in a restricted sphere of experience. This is not a novel idea and I find it ironic that the artists who advance this theme usually are leading full, rich lives.
The black and white cinematography is a plus. The opening scene focuses on a grain of sand at a microscopic level and then the camera draws out in a sequence of shots that finally wind up with a desert shot. A goal throughout the movie must have been to photograph sand in as many creative ways as possible.
The sparse score by Tôru Takemitsu is notable.
I felt sorry for the actors who had to spend so much time in the sand. They must have welcomed a good shower after a day of shooting.
I think that the reason that this film gets consistently high marks is because that someone who is familiar with the plot and still chooses to watch it is someone who would be inclined to like it. I thought that that would be the case for me, but it wasn't.