2026/01 Woman in the Dunes - Movie > Likes and Comments

A thread to discuss from movie made from The Woman in the Dunes.

Here is the IMDB link:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058625/

Woman in the Dunes or Woman of the Dunes (Japanese: 砂の女, Hepburn: Suna No Onna; "Sand Woman") is a 1964 Japanese New Wave avant-garde arthouse psychological thriller film directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara and starring Eiji Okada, Kyōko Kishida, and Kōji Mitsui. It received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for two Academy Awards. The screenplay for the film was adapted by Kōbō Abe from his 1962 novel of the same name. The film follows an amateur entomologist (Okada) who is led to settle in the house of a lonely widow (Kishida) at the bottom of a sand dune in a rural coastal village. He soon realizes that the villagers have trapped him there and expect him to work for them.
(Credit Wikipedia accessed 16 Jan 2026)

Thanks Jack!

I saw this film many years ago and was impressed. Some scenes still still in my memories.

Jack wrote: "I saw this film many years ago and was impressed. Some scenes still still in my memories."

The film has absolutely incredible cinematography, and lend the narrative to a somber, and somewhat relaxed moment of contemplation and enjoyment. My university had a print of the 35mm which was shown in film classes pretty regularly. I haven't seen it in 20 years now, but you're right! It sticks with you!

I won’t be rereading the book but the movie has been on my watchlist for years now. This is a good opportunity I think :)

I just finished watching this. What an INCREDIBLE movie. I thought the book was okay but the movie is far better IMO. The cinematography is absolutely stunning. Without the man's inner monologue he came across a lot better, and the woman being visually present made her feel much more three-dimensional. The plot was identical to the book as far as I could see, though the timeline was truncated. The music was incredible for helping, alongside the camera shots, use of sand, and close-ups, to create a claustrophobic and psychically damaging feeling. If you disliked the book, I would still recommend the movie. If you liked the book you absolutely need to see the movie. The two actors are amazing, also.

It's in my top 10 of all time. :)

great film . free cigarettes sign me up !

I have only seen bits and pieces that I've found online, but I've read the book, and look forward to seeing the whole film. From what I saw, it really caught the tone of the book -- a sense of richness but depletion. Thoroughly intriguing.