Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is about a female protagonist trying to save the world from destroying itself. Beautiful animation. Film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind – Hayao Miyazaki …
Woman in the Dunes. Existentialism at its best. Do you live to move sand, or do you move sand to live? Sensual B&W thriller. Film Woman in the Dunes – Hiroshi Teshigahara – 1964
The Naked Island tells of a family who live on an otherwise deserted island. Their main concern is getting fresh water to grow what passes for crops. Film The Naked Island – Kaneto Shindô – 1960
The Human Condition. Three great films that, when combined, make up the best trilogy ever made. About war, suffering, pacifism and socialism. Film The Human Condition – Masaki Kobayashi
Onibaba: A highly unsettling B&W film about the struggle for survival in the grasslands outside Kyoto during a big war. With the occasional pinch of horror. Film Onibaba – Kaneto Shindô – 1964