The Ballad of Narayama (1958 film)
'The Ballad of Narayama', (Narayama bushiko), is a Japanese film from 1958 by Keisuke Kinoshita. A remake was made in 1983 by Shohei Imamura, which won the Palme d'Or ( Cannes top prize). It starred Sumiko Sakamoto as Orin, Ken Ogata, and Shoichi Ozawa. Both films are based on the book Men of Tohoku by Shichiro Fukuzawa. The film takes place in a traditional Japanese village, with no particular reference to a time period (roughly 19th century). Thus it is a timeless fable. It is a fable because it concerns the moral lessons from the example of the life of the main character Orin, an elderly woman, 69 years of age.
Non-spoiler Summary: Imamura film
In this village, there is a custom that at age 70 the elderly go to a remote mountain to die of exposure so they won't become a burden to their family and community. Orin, though of sound health, notes that a neighbor had to drag his father to the mountain, so she resolves to avoid clinging to life beyond her term. She spends a year arranging all the affairs of her family and village.
In the year, she manages to arrange her families affairs, severely punish a family who are hoarding food, and help her idiot son lose his virginity.
The film has some harsh scenes that show how brutal the conditions could be for the villagers. Interspersed between episodes in the film are brief vignettes of natural beauty from the Japanese countryside, often featuring animals copulating.