Released on Blu-ray on February the 20th by Eureka! Shohei Imamur’s anthropological offering The Insect Woman (Nippon-konchuki in its original Japanese) follows the working-class life of Tome Matsuki who invokes the survival instincts of an insect the title suggests.

Spanning five generations and set in rural Japan the film is a portrait of feminine resilience in the face of war, social upheaval and male dominated servitude, abounding in black humour and often touching on some (at the time) taboo subjects such as incest, sexual violence and prostitution.

Beautifully shot in NikkatsuScope with a slow-going but effective plot ­Imamura captures a radical vision of ordinary life behind doors whilst unraveling the dark realities often taken on by women living under an oppressive patriarchal regime and its inherent watered-down complexities that filter through the class layers.

Regarded as one of the most important films of the Japanese New Wave of the 1960’s and winner of the Berlin Film Festival Best Actress award for Sachiko Hidari’s portrayal of Tome, the newly restored and re-mastered high-definition Special Edition Blu-ray release of The Insect Woman makes for an enjoyable re-watching or first-time viewing of this sometimes overlooked classic.

DVD Extras

DVD extras include an extra featurette, a lavish essay packed booklet and interviews with the director himself.