The Witches of the Orient

Play trailer

1:56

The Witches of the Orient

2021

1h 40m

Documentary

Sports & Fitness

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

26 Reviews

Popcornmeter

0 Verified Ratings

The Japanese volleyball players called the “Oriental Witches” are now in their seventies. From the formation of the team at the factory until their victory at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, memories and legends rise to the surface and blend inextricably.

Critics Consensus

As visually stylish as it is overall captivating, The Witches of the Orient takes a solidly crafted look at a fascinating chapter of Olympic history.

Read Critics Reviews

Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

07/22/2021

Fusing exquisitely shot color 16mm footage from 1964 of the team's training sessions, drone-like music and splices of animation, we get a delirious sense of what these committed women endured six out of seven days a week.

Go to Full Review

Josh Kupecki

Austin Chronicle

07/16/2021

3.5/5

Faraut finds and obsesses over the rhythm of bodies in motion, using repetition and cross-cuts of the team's training footage and gameplay with anime sequences and textile manufacturing.

Go to Full Review

Danny Leigh

Financial Times

07/14/2021

4/5

The film might be mistaken for pure style. But all kinds of narrative freight is in the mix and between the lines: the traumas of 20th-century Japanese history, cultural stereotypes, changing norms.

Go to Full Review

Dorothy Woodend

The Tyee (British Columbia)

11/08/2021

Women are tough. Perhaps even tougher than we realize. If you need any further reminder of this truism, I give you Julien Faraut's documentary, The Witches of the Orient.

Go to Full Review

Sean Fallon

Film Inquiry

08/28/2021

This is one of those documentaries that does what historical documentaries should do: it takes a monumental achievement that the viewer might not know about and gives it the presentation and love it deserves.

Go to Full Review

Dan Schindel

Hyperallergic

08/03/2021

More than presenting the mere facts of history, the film explores how a series of events can capture the attention of a culture at large, and what that means for the people at its center.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

ionut m

12/11/2021

A surprising and immersive documentary about Japan's most prolific female handball team

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Julien Faraut

Director

Julien Faraut

Writer

William Jéhannin

Producer

Yutaka Yamazaki

Cinematographer

Jason Lytle

Original Music

Set!

100%

88%

Set!

Watchlist

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

95%

96%

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali

94%

83%

Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali

Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed

79%

72%

Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed

Watchlist

Man in Black

100%

%

Man in Black

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Witches of the Orient: Trailer 1

1:56

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

The Japanese volleyball players called the “Oriental Witches” are now in their seventies. From the formation of the team at the factory until their victory at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, memories and legends rise to the surface and blend inextricably.

Director: Julien Faraut
Producer: William Jéhannin
Screenwriter: Julien Faraut
Production Co: Institut National du Sport, de l'Expertise et de la Performance, Centre National du Cinéma et de L'image Animée, La Région Île-de-France, UFO Production
Genre: Documentary, Sports & Fitness
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 9, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 26, 2021
Runtime: 1h 40m