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. In Japanese with English subtitles.