[THE NAKED ISLAND screens Friday July 29th at 7:20 pm and Saturday July 30th at 5:00 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]
Review by Bob Ignizio
The family of four in director Kaneto Shindo's THE NAKED ISLAND spend almost the entire film without uttering a word. They don't have time for talk; they're too busy simply trying to survive. The father (Taiji Tonoyama) and mother (Nobuko Otowa) strain as they carry buckets of fresh water brought by canoe from the larger neighboring island up the steep hills to their garden. The two young boys (Shinji Tanaka and Masanori Horimoto) do their part, as well, doing what household chores they can manage. Meals and sleep provide the only respite. The older boy attends school, letting us know that the parents want their offspring to have a better life without it needing to be said.
