Few films confront a country’s own crimes the way this does. It’s radical in spirit and form. Kinoshita employs several impressive formal techniques. He’s got some amazing close-ups, audio motifs, and breathtakingly effective wide shots. The story is immensely tragic. Its dramatic unfolding never seems to let up.
It follows a family relocated to the countryside due to the war. A soldier of the war, now home, identifies the man to marry his sister as a war criminal. Critically, this isn’t a documented war crime, but one the soldier observed among his comrades. It is a clear representation of the unstated crimes of war, especially among countrymen. The identified war criminal is a son to a high ranking official in the village. Upon declining the wedding invitation, the village is slowly turned against the refugee family.
The parallels of the village to Japanese society at large translates well. The consequences of fear, mob mentality, neighborhood insidiousness, and corruption are explored. The critical point of the tale’s effectiveness is the autonomy with which the victim family acts. At each point, while often at the disadvantage, they operate in a sensible way to make the best of their situation.
Few films confront a country’s own crimes the way this does. It’s radical in spirit and form. Kinoshita employs several impressive formal techniques. He’s got some amazing close-ups, audio motifs, and breathtakingly effective wide shots. The story is immensely tragic. Its dramatic unfolding never seems to let up.
It follows a family relocated to the countryside due to the war. A soldier of the war, now home, identifies the man to marry his sister as a war criminal. Critically, this isn’t a documented war crime, but one the soldier observed among his comrades. It is a clear representation of the unstated crimes of war, especially among countrymen. The identified war criminal is a son to a high ranking official in the village. Upon declining the wedding invitation, the village is slowly turned against the refugee family.
The parallels of the village to Japanese society at large translates well. The consequences of fear, mob mentality, neighborhood insidiousness, and corruption are explored. The critical point of the tale’s effectiveness is the autonomy with which the victim family acts. At each point, while often at the disadvantage, they operate in a sensible way to make the best of their situation.
