About this episode

The episode discusses the film THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA and its themes, cinematography, and cultural implications.

Help the Trylon afford a 4K projector! https://trylon.org/4K The Trylon’s series on Kinuyo Tanaka’s acting roles ends with a bang: Keisuke Kinoshita’s THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (no, not the 1983 version that won the Palme d’Or). It’s a dire tale: Tanaka plays an old woman on the cusp of 70, at which point she’ll be taken to the top of a mountain to die alone so her village can conserve food. And Bleak Week isn’t even here yet! The story itself is only ALMOST as interesting as how it’s told. A mix of traditional Japanese dramatic styles are filmed with a colorful expressiveness and visual dynamism that seems to undercut the stoic, passionless ritual at its heart. In this Harry-less episode, we discuss the subversive literary origins of this story, the way its cinematography helps you keep time and dread its passing, and the possibility that THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA is at war with itself. Then, we unwind with a lyrics guessing game based on peak millennial ballads. We also get into it about Werther’s® Originals®. Or is it Werther’s® Original®? Give to these causes in need during ICE’s occupation of Minnesota: Support Minnesotans defending their communities from ICE…

People in this episode

Host: Trylove

Topics covered

• Japanese cinema
• Kinuyo Tanaka
• film analysis
• cultural commentary
• mutual aid

Keywords

• Keisuke Kinoshita
• 1958 film
• Japanese drama
• cinematography
• cultural critique
• mutual aid
• Werther's Originals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Trylon, ICE, ISAIAH, sanctuarysupplydepot, mplsmutualaid

Books & works: THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA

More episodes of Trylove

• Episode 383: SANSHO THE BAILIFF (1954) · May 19, 2026 · 1h 50m
• Episode 382: A HEN IN THE WIND (1948) · May 12, 2026 · 1h 36m

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