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Eiji Okada, Kyoko Kishida, Koji Mitsui, Hiroko Ito, Sen Yano ... see more see more... , Ginzo Sekigushi , Eisi Okada , Hiroyuki Nishimoto , Kinzo Sekiguchi , Kiyohiko Ichiha , Tamutsu Tamura

When entomologist Jumpei (Eiji Okada) travels to sand dunes on an expedition, he is met by a group of people who offer him a place to spend the night. They soon lead him to a house at the bottom of a ... read more read more...sandpit. Upon climbing into the pit, he finds a young widow (Kyoko Kishida) living alone. Placed there by the villagers, her task is to dig sand out of the pit -- not only so that they can avoid getting buried, but so that the locals can use it for construction. The next morning, when Jumpei attempts to leave, he finds that the ladder which brought him into the pit is no longer there and the villagers inform him that he must stay and help the woman dig. After trying to get out of the pit, Jumpei takes his anger out on the woman--only to soon become her lover. After some time, he slowly gives in to accepting his predicament. This interesting story takes a simple yet effective route in philosophical allegory, focusing upon the couple's oppressive confinement and the force of their physical attraction to each other in spite of--or because of--their situation. Taken from the novel by Kobo Abe, director/producer Hiroshi Teshigahara completed this visually stunning feature on a budget of only $100,000. Winning a Special Jury Prize at Cannes in 1964, the poetic Woman in the Dunes would go on to be nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Foreign Film (1964) and Best Director (1965). ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

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92% liked it

4,850 ratings

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14 critics

Unrated, 2 hr. 3 min.

Directed by: Hiroshi Teshigahara

Release Date: October 25, 1964

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DVD Release Date: January 4, 2000

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Stats: 342 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (342)

  • webalina
    February 14, 2011
    webalina
    An entomologist looking for bugs (he's looking for a specific one that will make a name for him in his peer group) in the sand of a seaside town misses the last bus of the night back to town and is convinced to spend the night in the home of a young woman, who lives in a small ho... read moreuse in a mostly inaccessible sandpit, as do most of the other townsfolk. He slowly realizes that he has been tricked and that he is to stay there permanently. Thus begins a tale that is a metaphor for humans trapped in their existence and why they choose to not change their circumstances, even when given the opportunity...or at least partially about that. There's lots going on here. Beautiful photography of the sand dunes, and a couple of rather erotic love scenes between the two main characters. There is one potential sex scene that is pretty hard to watch, a bit reminiscent (to me anyway) of the "party scene" at the end of REQUEIM FOR A DREAM. The ending is left hanging a bit, and I haven't decided if the man's decision about his situation is a postive thing or a negative one.
  • rubystevens
    November 15, 2010
    rubystevens
    the film is certainly gorgeous. the sand is mesmerizing. i didn't find it as 'erotic' as some however. i got the larger point about the futility of most of our activities but i didn't like what it seems to say about male-female relationships. even if it's true! lol
  • flixsterman
    July 25, 2009
    flixsterman
    There is enough symbolism here to keep a whole team of cinematic existentialists busy for months. At its core, it's a film about a man who gets trapped in a hole. Too simplistic? Probably. It's the story of an entomologist who gets captured by a group of villagers and is forc... read moreed to shovel sand along side the beautiful Kyoko Kishida (I could think of far worse fates). He spends most of his waking hours plotting his escape, but the longer he's there the more he feels obligated to his hole-mate. Is he falling in love? Is he learning the meaning of true freedom? Can he figure out a way to escape? Does he really want to? Is he an 'everyman' and the hole a representation of an oppressive society? Can I find a clever way to end this review?
  • sanjurosamurai
    July 14, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    "are you shoveling to survive, or surviving to shovel?" one lead asks this of the other, and it is a telling question because it was the same question that circled my mind through the entire film up until the point it was asked. without question, woman in the dunes is one of th... read moree most unique pictures ever filmed, and its uniqueness brought with it brilliance. the plot is actually absurd and there are a few questions left unanswered, but teshigahara also made sure to answer the most important questions to make this outlandish story actually seem believable on every level. the acting was superb especially okada playing the lead, and the premise of this non horror film was more terrifying than just about any horror film ive ever seen. the cinematography was astounding, some of the best ive ever seen, and the film was effective in everything it attempted from start to finish. the music was also especially perfect for the film. the end of the film didnt go my way at all, but it wasnt supposed to. a genuine masterpiece of cinema.
  • harrycaul
    January 23, 2009
    harrycaul
    An entomologist, collecting specimens among some coastal sand dunes, is tricked by a group of villagers into spending the night at the house of a woman who lives at the bottom of a sand pit. Finding himself trapped by the steep, unstable sides of the pit, and at constant risk of ... read moreinundation by the shifting dunes, the man is forced to help the woman shovel sand from around the house, not just to protect their shelter, but also in return for food and drink from the villagers, who market the sand as a construction material.

    The only thing I don't like about this marvellous film is the hero, who constantly evolves but only from one species of asshole to the next; he's just impossible to like. He starts off as a figure of fun, whose petulant behaviour is less a natural response to his loss of liberty than an intellectual's aversion to manual labour. Before resignation finally settles in, he comes to view his sweet and docile companion as complicit in his capture, making the most of nearly every opportunity to treat her abominably. The film is exquisitely photographed and some of the shots of cascading sand are hypnotically beautiful. The spooky avant-garde soundtrack is very effective.
  • DrBenway
    October 28, 2008
    DrBenway
    This darkly, beautiful and hypnotic tale works perfectly well if taken on a purely aesthetic level. The most immediate and striking thing about it is the look. Complimented by the minimalist soundtrack by Toru Takemitsu, Woman in the Dunes is a powerful piece of work with leisu... read morerely pacing that is not going to prove for all tastes.
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  • binky013
    July 26, 2007
    binky013
    My sincerest apologies to all my flixster buds who loved this one. Walter, I would like to add this baby to your burgeoning list of "I could not sit through this" movies. No kidding, Walter, I tried three times over three nights. Sorry, flixster friends. It must just be me.
  • lesleyanorton
    September 4, 2009
    lesleyanorton
    Two and a half hours of a couple in a hole digging sand. Mostly. It doesn't sound much of a plot, but your brain can use the slow pace to fill in the gaps (why is she there? why is he there? why do the villagers put them there? what's going to happen next?) it's a lot more intere... read moresting than it sounds.
  • streamofconsciousness
    August 29, 2009
    streamofconsciousness
    Wow. This movie is one of the most interesting horror/psychological thrillers I've ever seen. Nothing compares- the concept is just brilliant! I think I'm going to have nightmares involving sand for a longtime to come!
  • cacutshaw
    December 2, 2007
    cacutshaw
    I read the novel of this years ago and I've often spoke of it as one of my favourites, but I've only just gotten around to seeing it and I must say I was blown away. A stylish tale by a master of cinema, I hear this being called erotic a lot, but it's so much more. The symbolis... read morem is fantastic, the futility and destruction of the sand, the pointlessness of standing up against it, and the moderate happiness in accepting it. A true masterpiece that lives up to the classic novel. Can't wait to see the rest of the Teshigahara films in the Criterion boxset.

View All Suna no Onna (Woman in the Dunes) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

More than almost any other film I can think of, Woman in the Dunes' uses visuals to create a tangible texture -- of sand, of skin, of water seeping into sand and changing its nature. Full Review

Anton Bitel
August 16, 2007
Anton Bitel, Eye for Film

As beguiling, enigmatic and timeless as the shifting sands, Teshigahara's finest film pulls the viewer in and refuses to let go. Full Review

Ken Hanke
August 1, 2007
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

If any piece of art-house cinema can be called an essential, this mesmerizing, haunting work can. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
April 12, 2007
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

A popular art house film of the 1960s, this allegorical tale holds up extremely well, perhaps due to its hypnotic visuals and intense stylization. Hiroshi Teshigahara became the first Japanese filmmak... Full Review

Dan Jardine
March 12, 2006
Dan Jardine, Cinemania

A promotional video for the Albert Camus Summer Camp Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
August 10, 2004
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

It's an offbeat tale involving an erotic love affair and a philosophical question about the meaning of existence. Full Review

Derek Smith
October 25, 2003
Derek Smith, Apollo Guide

Hiroshi Teshigahara's carefully constructed direction bring the characters to life in a way that makes us both sympathize and identify with their situation. Full Review

John A. Nesbit
July 28, 2003
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews

sensual camerawork that captures waves of sand more intimately than Lawrence of Arabia and lovingly wraps around the bodies of its protagonists. Full Review

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
March 10, 2002
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

One of the most beautiful black and white films ever made. Full Review

August 19, 2008
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

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  • For what famous film was this the final uttered line of dialogue or narration (translated into subtitles or not)? :"If not today, then tomorrow, I will have told someone. I can think about escaping after that."   Answer »
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