Before the ghostly long-haired women of Ringu and Ju-On, there was the psychological entrapment of Roman Porno. The "box" functions the same way as the cursed videotape or the haunted house—it is a confined space where trauma repeats.
If you wish to explore this fascinating corner of cinema, here are the three pillars of the "Woman in a Box" Japanese movie canon: Woman In A Box Japanese Movie
Film scholars argue that Kazuo (in the 1985 film) is a metaphor for the Japanese "Salaryman." He works a degrading job (faking news photos), has a failing marriage, and finds his only agency in building a literal box for a woman. The film suggests that patriarchy is a lonely, suffocating box for men as well. Before the ghostly long-haired women of Ringu and
