Onibaba

REVIEW
This exotic and macabre story is set in medieval Japan, a land ravaged by continual upheavals and bloody battles between powerful warlords and where suffering peasants in the pillaged villages grow more and more desperate in the struggle to survive. An elderly woman and her son's wife eke out their existence by searching for wounded soldiers, killing them -- if necessary -- and stripping them of their armour which they exchange for food. When a friend returns from the war with news of her son's death, the old lady becomes suspicious, both of the returning soldier and of her daughter-in-law -- neither of whom seem in the least upset by his untimely demise. When the two begin a passionate affair, the old lady calls upon the demons and spirits to help her punish her daughter-in-law. Onibaba is a disturbing tale of deceit and survival. (Japanese with English subtitles)