The Ballad of Narayama

"With my mother on my back, now is the time to say goodbye to this world."

1958 1h 38m JA

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 94

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a remote village where food is scarce, elders who reach the age of 70 are carried by their children to the top of a nearby mountain to die in solitude. Orin, a vibrant 69-year-old grandmother, has accepted her fate — but struggles to prepare the rest of her family for the ritual.

“With my mother on my back, now is the time to say goodbye to this world.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Kinuyo Tanaka
Orin
Teiji Takahashi
Tatsuhei
Yūko Mochizuki
Tamayan
Seiji Miyaguchi
Matayan
Yūnosuke Itō
Matayan's son
Ken Mitsuda
Teruyan
Danko Ichikawa
Kesakichi
Keiko Ogasawara
Matsu-yan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Keisuke Kinoshita
Writers: Keisuke Kinoshita
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

68 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, shot by Hiroshi Kusuda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Matsunosuke Nozawa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yoshi Sugihara shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kinuyo Tanaka and Teiji Takahashi and Yūko Mochizuki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "With my mother on my back, now is the time to say goodbye to this world.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0051980 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 94 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Keisuke Kinoshita directs. Hiroshi Kusuda behind the camera. Matsunosuke Nozawa scores. Yoshi Sugihara cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

168 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, shot by Hiroshi Kusuda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Matsunosuke Nozawa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Yoshi Sugihara shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Kinuyo Tanaka and Teiji Takahashi and Yūko Mochizuki carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "With my mother on my back, now is the time to say goodbye to this world.".
7IMDB entry: tt0051980 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 94 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.