The Insect Woman

"She lives by instinct with no sense of right or wrong."

1963 2h 3m JA

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 79

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A woman, Tome, is born to a lower class family in Japan in 1918. The title refers to an insect, repeating its mistakes, as in an infinite circle. Imamura, with this metaphor, introduces the life of Tome, who keeps trying to change her poor life.

“She lives by instinct with no sense of right or wrong.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Sachiko Hidari
Tome Matsuki
Jitsuko Yoshimura
Nobuko
Shoichi Ozawa
Ken
Hiroyuki Nagato
Matsunami
Kayoko Honoo
Miyako
Masumi Harukawa
Midori
Emiko Aizawa
Rui
Emiko Higashi
Kane

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shōhei Imamura
Writers: Shōhei Imamura, Keiji Hasebe
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

63 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shōhei Imamura, shot by Shinsaku Himeda. 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 Toshirō Mayuzumi. 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 Mutsuo Tanji 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

Sachiko Hidari and Jitsuko Yoshimura and Shoichi Ozawa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "She lives by instinct with no sense of right or wrong.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0057363 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 79 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shōhei Imamura directs. Shinsaku Himeda behind the camera. Toshirō Mayuzumi scores. Mutsuo Tanji cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

163 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Shōhei Imamura, shot by Shinsaku Himeda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Toshirō Mayuzumi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Mutsuo Tanji shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Sachiko Hidari and Jitsuko Yoshimura and Shoichi Ozawa carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "She lives by instinct with no sense of right or wrong.".
7IMDB entry: tt0057363 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 79 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 31 themes, including "adultery", "japan", "prostitute", "buddhism".
10Released under 15 different titles around the world.