The Naked Island (Criterion Collection)

Director Kaneto Shindo’s stark, largely dialogue-free, and wholly unforgettable study of a grueling agrarian lifestyle is set on a tiny island in the Setonaikai archipelago, where a family of four--a husband, wife, and two young sons--face unending challenges to simply meet the basic tasks of keeping their staple crops irrigated. Extraordinary tale stars Nobuko Otowa, Taijo Tonoyama, Shinji Tanaka, Masanori Horimoto. 96 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Japanese Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; featurettes; theatrical trailer. In Japanese with English subtitles.