The Masseurs and a Woman

Hiroshi Shimizu's 1938 film is set in a hot spring town in the mountains. Two blind masseurs walk there every year; this season a woman from the city, a solitary man and his badly behaved nephew are also staying. Nobody tells anybody why they have come. The film's idea is the masseurs' perception. They cannot see, but they know people by their walk, their scent and their voice, and notice what someone is hiding before the sighted do. The narrative does not turn this into a detective game; it uses it as a point of view. Shimizu shoots mostly outdoors and in motion; roads, the river and forest scenes make up much of the film. That was an uncommon method in Japanese studio cinema of the period. It runs short, under seventy minutes. Who it's for: those who like classic Japanese cinema and calm, eventless narrative. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a distinct plot; the film closes none of its stories completely.