The Naked Island (1960)

Toho
Directed by Kaneto Shindo
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Criterion Collection)

A husband and wife carve out a meager existence for their two young sons by farming on a small island on which they are the only inhabitants. Their daily routine, shown in detail, consists of hauling water from the mainland by boat, then carrying it up the steep hills to their small hut and nearby fields. They carry out the backbreaking work without complaint, or really any emotions at all. The kids attend school and help with the daily routine. They are often left alone on the island, and one day one of them falls ill with a fever. His father must row across the sea and find a doctor by foot, and the long delay costs the boy his life. A very moving burial follows involving the boy's classmates. The husband and wife return to their farm work. Widescreen black and white cinematography by Kiyomi Kuroda is often stunning, but the pacing is glacial, the music repetitive and even the eventual emotional drama is muted by the poor placement of a still image to show the boy's death.