黒の牛 (Black Ox). 2024. Japan/Taiwan. Directed by Tetsuichirô Tsuta. With Lee Kang-sheng, Min Tanaka, Fukuyo. DCP. In Japanese with English subtitles. 114 min.
Inspired by the Ten Oxherding Pictures, a series of Zen Buddhist illustrations tracing the path to enlightenment, director Tsuta Tetsuichiro’s sophomore feature follows a former hunter-gatherer finding his bearings in late-19th-century Japan as the country hurtles toward modernization. Living in near solitude, he finds companionship—and spiritual guidance—in an unruly black ox. Taiwanese screen icon Lee Kang-sheng, the longtime muse of Tsai Ming-liang, gives a mesmerizing, dialogue-free performance of extraordinary, raw physical intensity. Shot on 35 mm and 70 mm film, largely in luminous black and white, this hypnotic work pairs breathtaking visual splendor with a delicate, resonant score by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto. Black Ox (黒之牛) is a profound cinematic meditation on labor, nature, and self-discovery.