3.5 stars
this is a Japanese movie and it’s Black and White because it’s 60 years old at the time of this writing …
the craziest thing about old movies like this is how SLOW the pace is. if “Woman in the Dunes” was shot in 2024 it would be a 30 minute short, not 2.5 hour long movie. the first couple minutes of the movie is just credits for example - with literally nothing on screen … the next few minutes after that is just a man walking on the dunes, and so on …
there are really only two characters and most of the dialogue is just chit chat - if you were to remove the fluff the entire dialogue would fit on one page with room to spare …
but this is how movies used to be made and you can’t really expect different from a movie of that era …
aside from that the story is a bit kooky but i could relate to almost every angle of it …
giving it 3.5 stars because, for what it is, it is a good movie. whether it is something you want to see is another question. if you want to watch a really slow black and white Japanese movie from the 60s that is somewhat erotic but mostly existentialist - then watch it. otherwise don’t.
you need to keep in mind that film was an experimental art form back then whereas now it is mature. adjust your expectations accordingly.