Amid the frozen mining scenes of Manchuria, where snow, iron, and human flesh intermingle, Kaji’s idealistic ideas crash against the wall of harsh reality. Masaki Kobayashi lays bare, with jarring detachment, how fascism grinds down the human spirit in the shadow of World War II. The young man, who embarks on this rural exile alongside his newlywed wife Michiko, finds himself caught between his conscientious objection and the military machine. Preserving human dignity in a camp under the watchful eye of military police and ruthless foremen gradually turns into an impossible battle.

5 wins & 1 nomination total