Ugetsu

Ugetsu (雨月物語, 1953) is a Japanese drama-fantasy you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Kenji Mizoguchi and shot by cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa. The film took the Silver Lion at Venice and remains one of the most discussed works in world cinema. It draws on ghost stories by Akinari Ueda and a tale by Maupassant.

Japan, the 16th century, civil war churning across the land. Potter Genjuro and his neighbor Tobei load their wares onto a boat and head toward the soldiers' money, ignoring the warning of a village elder. Genjuro becomes enthralled by a highborn woman, Lady Wakasa, whose estate feels wrong in ways he can't name. Tobei is chasing a samurai's rank by any means available. Their wives — played by Kinuyo Tanaka and Mitsuko Mito — are left to survive what the men set in motion.

Mizoguchi never editorializes. He simply shows you what ambition costs, one unhurried shot at a time. Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyo carry the film with the kind of restraint that only lands when the direction trusts them completely. Watch Ugetsu (1953) online on iFILM.