An arduous rain drenched trek leads a frail teenage girl to collapse on the steps of a hill top Buddhist Temple.. The youthful resident monk takes her in and along with his motherly helper they nurse the mysterious girl back to health. The homeless girl comfortably settles into the austere lifestyle, secure within the sanctity of the temple refuge. Her presence inevitably draws obsessive attentions. Desecrating the purity of the sacred shrine a violation initiates an affair, one which fractures the rigid harmony of the spiritual realm, clouding the clarity of the devout priest. ."Not standing upon words"... A dialogue free film , sparse as it is, conversation is muted, clearly audible are grounding everyday sounds providing an evocative & tangible natural reality.With striking composition and varying rhythms, multi themes are vividly presented often with dissolving seemingly random imagery...very Zen. Experimental, independent filmmaker Yoichi Takabayashi intricately creates a unique, profoundly expressive work of cinematic art.A story with no words, however it is a story that has so much to say.... Gaki in the films title references Hungry Ghosts... In Japanese Buddhism these spirits, punished for their mortal vices, have been cursed with an insatiable hunger... emerging from an unhappy death or where there is neglect or desertion of venerable ancestors.Highly Recommended for Classic Japanese film enthusiasts...