Review of Onibaba

Onibaba (1964)
10/10
Down in a hole.
27 February 2007
"Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

  • Nietzsche


The characters in Onibaba dwell in the bottom rung of Maslow's Pyramid.

Food, sex, shelter, survival - though not necessarily in that order.

Sexuality permeates every frame of this film. It is ever-present along with the oppressive heat and the marshland weeds.

The stark black and white cinematography perfectly captures the desolate mood.

The score – atonal free jazz backed by tribal rhythms - though completely anachronistic works surprisingly well.

One of the most fiercely primal depictions of the human condition on celluloid, Onibaba is a hauntingly erotic masterpiece.
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