Cheap houses in the Japanese countryside have recently become a hot topic among non-Japanese, particularly those who are priced out of their own country’s housing market. Likewise, many Japanese who are fed up with city living long for a rural retreat where the pace of life is slow and the locals follow traditional ways.
But as Hideo Jojo’s slow-burn psychological thriller “Welcome to the Village” illustrates with the clarity and starkness of a folktale, cheapness comes at a price, and tradition can be constricting — or devastating.
The screenplay by Jojo and Eisuke Naito is based on actual incidents of murahachibu — the ancient practice of ostracizing villagers considered outcasts by the community. But in the film, this custom takes on a disturbingly contemporary twist.
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