Kokoro ogoreru onna: A 1920 Japanese silent that's all about the eyebrows

If you have a thing for grainy black-and-white stuff where everyone looks like they're wearing too much powder, then yeah, give this one a go. But if you can't stand silent movies or the slow pacing of the 1920s, you’ll probably want to pull your hair out after ten minutes. 🎞️

It’s one of those films that feels like it’s barely holding together on the reel. Honestly, half the charm is just seeing how much the film stock has decayed over the last century.

Eishō Maki plays the lead, and she spends a lot of time looking very upset about things that probably aren't that big of a deal. Her face is basically the whole movie.

She has this way of tilting her head that makes her look both royal and extremely annoyed. It's a total vibe.

There’s this one part where she stands by a sliding door and just... stares. For like, a full minute.

You can tell the director, Eizō Yamauchi, really wanted us to feel the "pride" in her heart. But mostly she just looks like she’s trying to remember where she put her house keys. 🔑

The movie doesn't have the same bounce as something like The Dance of Life. It's much more stiff and formal.

It feels like a series of very fancy postcards that someone decided to make move. Which isn't always a bad thing if you like postcards.

The lighting is actually pretty decent for 1920, even if it's a bit primitive. They use these harsh shadows that make the house look way creepier than it probably was in real life.

I kept getting distracted by the background actors in the street scenes. They all look so confused to be on camera, like they wandered into the shot by accident.

There’s a guy in the back of one scene who looks like he’s trying really hard not to laugh. He’s just standing there while Maki is doing her big dramatic moment.

It’s funny how these old movies try to be so serious but end up being kind of charming because of the technical hiccups. It makes it feel more human.

I’ve seen some other stuff from this era, like Sei no kagayaki, and you can see the same growing pains of a new industry. Everyone is still figuring out how to act for a lens instead of a theater stage.

The plot is supposedly about this woman being arrogant or "proud," but the translation of the title cards I saw was a bit wonky. One card said something like "Her heart is a fortress of vanity."

That’s a bit extra, don't you think? 🏰

Kyôji Sugi shows up and he’s... fine? He doesn’t have much to do except look confused by the main lady's attitude.

His mustache is very impressive, though. It’s the most solid thing in the whole movie, honestly.

The costumes are the real winner here. The kimonos are incredibly detailed, even if the film quality makes them look a bit muddy and grey.

You can see the texture of the fabric in the close-ups. It's the only time the movie feels like it was expensive to make.

There’s a scene with a tea set that feels like it goes on forever. Every movement is so deliberate.

Like, picking up a cup is a 30-second ordeal. I guess they had more time to kill back then.

If you’re looking for action, go watch The Fighting Gringo or something else with guns. This is purely for the "I want to see what Japan looked like 100 years ago" crowd.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s just a weird, old slice of history that someone probably found in a dusty box.

The ending is very abrupt. Like, the screen just goes black and you're left wondering if the projector broke or if that was really it.

It’s better than Henpecked, mostly because it doesn't try to be a slapstick mess. It sticks to its guns, even if those guns are just "staring intensely at the floor."

I liked the way the shadows fell across the floor in the final scene. It felt real for a second, like I was actually in the room.

Anyway, it's a short watch if you can find a decent copy. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything.

It’s just a lady being proud. In a house. In 1920.

The title cards are so long you could probably read a whole book in between them. I found myself checking my watch a few times.

I wonder if Haruo Satô, the writer, was having a bad day when he wrote this. It feels a bit bitter towards the characters.

Maybe he knew a "proud woman" who wouldn't give him the time of day. 🥀

The music on the version I watched was this tinkly piano that didn't match the mood at all. It sounded like a cat walking on the keys during a funeral.

But that’s the risk you take with these old silents. You never know what modern score someone slapped on top of it.

Sometimes the silence is better. It lets you focus on the weird makeup and the set design.

Maki’s eyebrows are basically their own characters. They move more than the rest of her face combined.