The Ballad of Narayama

The Ballad of Narayama

1958 · 98 min · JA · 7.6 (94 votes)
Dir. Keisuke Kinoshita · Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Teiji Takahashi, Yūko Mochizuki, Seiji Miyaguchi, Yūnosuke Itō, Ken Mitsuda · Music Matsunosuke Nozawa

“With my mother on my back, now is the time to say goodbye to this world.”

Drama

In a remote village where food is scarce, elders who reach the age of 70 are carried by their children to the top of a nearby mountain to die in solitude. Orin, a vibrant 69-year-old grandmother, has accepted her fate — but struggles to prepare the rest of her family for the ritual.

VIBE

A stark, ritualistic drama that feels like a grim folk tale. It's a somber meditation on duty, sacrifice, and the unyielding grip of tradition in a harsh, unforgiving world. The film's stoic tone is deeply affecting.

somberritualisticstoicmelancholicslow-burnarthouseperiod dramafolk horrorKabuki-inspiredsacrificefamilytraditionmortality
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family relationshipsdying traditionssocial convention