Hiroshi Teshigahara’s Woman of the Dunes (1964) is a haunting existential drama that delves into the primal struggle for survival, identity, and freedom, screened on 35mm.
The film follows an entomologist (Eiji Okada) who, while on a research trip, becomes trapped in a remote desert village, forced to help a woman (Kyōko Kishida) endlessly shovel sand to prevent their home from being buried.
Teshigahara’s stark visuals and avant-garde style amplify the oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere, turning the vast desert landscape into an allegory for the human condition—one of entrapment, desire, and the cyclical nature of life.
Screened in conjunction with Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum’s It Will End in Tears, Woman in the Dunes shares a thematic resonance with the exhibition’s exploration of isolation, time, and the body’s relationship to its environment.
1965 Japan dir Hiroshi Teshigahara 124 min
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Booking fees
£1.50 booking fee per online/phone transaction.
No fee when tickets are booked in person.
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Like Sunstrum’s work, the film grapples with the paradox of endless labor and the passage of time, revealing the tensions between freedom and obligation, intimacy and alienation.
The hypnotic and surreal atmosphere of Woman in the Dunes echoes Sunstrum’s own meditations on resilience and the delicate boundaries between connection and separation.
It Will End In Tears
Cinema 3
Location
Barbican Cinema 2 & 3 are located on Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican’s Silk Street entrance. From Silk Street, you’ll see a zebra crossing that will take you across the road to the venue.
Address
Beech Street
London
EC2Y 8DS
Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.
We’ve plenty of places for you to relax and replenish, from coffee and cake to wood-fired pizzas and full pre-theatre menus
Access
Cinemas 2 & 3 are located at Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican Centre’s main Silk Street entrance. There are a couple of steep, dropped kerbs and an incline to negotiate between the two sites. Level access from Beech Street.
Mobility
Each auditorium has three permanent wheelchair spaces (two in the third row and one in the front row) and 153 fixed seats with capacity for a further three spaces in the front row. Access to each auditorium is up a ramp. There are also a number of seats with step-free access.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs may be taken into the cinema – please tell us when booking to ensure your seat has enough space. If you prefer, you may leave your dog with a member of the foyer staff during the performance.
Hearing facility
An infrared system for hard of hearing customers is provided in each auditorium; headsets or neck loops can be collected from foyer staff. The ticket desk counter is fitted with an induction loop.
For more access information, please visit our Accessibility section.
