La balada de Narayama

The word ubasute refers to a practice that, according to popular belief, used to take place during hunger seasons in old Japan, and which consisted in abandoning the town’s elderly on the top of mountains so they died alone. The journey towards the summits had to be made alongside their children; it was considered an act of bravery and celebration for those who turned 70. Ballad of Narayama appropriates this millenary custom to tell the story of Orin (a touching Kinuyo Tanaka) who, at 69, hasn’t been able to put her life in order, and thus, is not ready to leave and face her tragic end. With resources that would be considered modern even today and a constant dialogue with theater, Keisuke Kinoshita builds a story that explores a town obsessed with the consequences of the passing of time and its relationship with death.

This retrospective has been made possible thanks to a collaboration of the Cultural and Informational Center of the Japanese Embassy, the Japan Foundation and the Lugones Theater of the Buenos Aires Theater Complex.