Woman in the Dunes (1964)

Jumpei Niki, a Tokyo-based entomologist and teacher, finds himself marooned in a desolate seaside village while collecting specimens of sand insects. As dusk descends and he misses the last bus back to civilization, the enigmatic locals suggest he spend the night, promising to provide him with shelter. This sanctuary turns out to be the peculiar home of a young widow, nestled at the bottom of a sand pit, accessible only by a precarious ladder. Awakening to a new dawn, Jumpei discovers the ladder has vanished, replaced by an inescapable sand wall, leaving him confined with the young widow. He soon uncovers a startling truth: the woman's husband and child were claimed by a ruthless sandstorm, their bodies lying undiscovered somewhere near this sandy prison. The villagers, it seems, have entrapped him in a calculated plot to become the widow's aide in an unceasing battle against the encroaching sands - a struggle for survival that threatens to consume them. This life of ceaseless toil is all the woman knows or desires, making her a willing captive of the sand. Thus, neither blackmail nor murder can grant Jumpei his freedom, for her death would mean his own. The once hopeful bug collector now finds himself fighting to maintain his sanity as he struggles to coexist with the woman in their shared sand-locked prison. Over time, their relationship evolves into an unusual and sensuous bond, stretching over the years as Jumpei's hope for escape begins to fade. The sand, once a symbol of his entrapment, becomes an inescapable part of their strange existence, gradually transforming from a deadly foe to an enduring symbol of their surreal and captivating life in the dunes.

Woman in the Dunes is a drama movie featuring Eiji Okada and directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara.

Woman in the Dunes is currently streaming on Criterion Channel.

It is also possible to buy Woman in the Dunes on Amazon Video and Apple TV.