Rating: 4/5
During a war that has recruited the men, a woman and her daughter-in-law live in the tall grass, murdering passing samurai and selling their wares for whatever they can get. They dispose of the bodies in a dark pit
Hachi, a friend of the daughter’s husband, returns from the war to tell them that the husband is dead. Soon, the daughter-in-law begins to sneak out at night to sleep with Hachi, worrying the woman that the daughter will leave and she won’t be able to survive on her own
One night while the daughter has snuck out, a samurai with a demon mask forces his way into their house, looking for a guide through the tall grass. She guides him to the dark pit and lets him fall, stealing his mask and sealing her fate
The blades of grass in the wind, the sharp contrasts — such a beautifully shot film. Also. I love the small scope of the movie — it keeps its focus and tension contained