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Ōshima – Cruel Story of Youth

I felt a difference while watching the movie. I think the reason for this is zooming in and pan shot are used at the same time in this film. In previous films, one camera work was often used for one shot. For example, only a pan shot is used to take that shot. However, I noticed that in this film, multiple camerawork was used at the same time, which made the images more realistic and flowing. Next, in the scene where Makoto has a conversation with older man in the car, the characters were often captured from the rear, from a viewpoint which the character's face could not be seen. By daring not to show Makoto's face at this time, I thought it had the effect of making it difficult for us to perceive Makoto's feelings or it expresses that it was not Makoto's true feelings but her acting.

From here, I will write about what I felt through this movie. Whenever Kiyoshi has a problem with a man, he always solves it by violence. Kiyoshi's immature way of thinking is reflected in the way he solves problems. When he gets into trouble with a woman as well, his actions are immature. He seems as if he is not trying to understand her. For example, his attempts to rape women were seen many times throughout the film. He is childish in that he can only sublimate his emotions in the form of power, not words. In the end, Kiyoshi dies because of such childish things he has done. Such storytelling is ludicrous. The character of Makoto is also portrayed in comparison to other adult women, which emphasizes how childish she is. She is portrayed as not understanding the realities of society and as being overconfident in herself. For example, when she has a child of Kiyoshi, she tells Kiyoshi immediately that she wants to have the baby out of her emotions, but in contrast, Masae, with whom Kiyoshi had a relationship, does not even tell him that she has a child, but tells him after the fact that she gave up the baby. In this way, the childishness of her lack of realistic thinking is expressed in this film. She also dies because of her at the end of the film. This film realistically depicts the danger of young people who do not fully understand the reality of society and who are overconfident that they are already adults. The fact that they cannot cope with reality by their own strength alone when they are confronted with it is also shown in the way the film ends with their self-destruction. Youth is a time of fun and impracticality, but it is also a time of overconfidence and underestimation of reality. Enjoying the moment sounds good for all of us, but if the responsibilities that come with it are left unchecked, youth can also be cruel. I felt this message from this film. 

[sanamiyo]

 The Harp of Burma

The camera work and the acts of the characters conveyed the sense of unity of the corps. The movement of the platoon, which alternately looked at the Myanmar people and Mizushima, was in perfect unison, indicating their collectiveness.  When the captain announced the surrender of Japan, the eyes of all the soldiers looked downwards. Dipicting this conveys that they were all biting their teeth at their country's defeat as Japanese soldiers, even though they had no voices to do so. In addition, the cut to the mountains and sky with Myanmar songs in the background conveyed the spacious echoes of the songs. A pan shot of Mizushima climing a cliff added to the realism of the scene. Finaly, a long shot which is used to capture Mizushima walking alone in the mountains was impressive. The vast expanse of sky and mountains contrasted with Mizushima's figure, making him look even smaller and emphasizing that he is now alone, a far cry from when he was in the platoon. When showing the troops before this scene, the background was not used in such a way as to emphasize the scene. This  coordination of the background scenery with the long shot skillfully expresses Mizushima's loneliness. In addition, the horizon also showed Mizushima's sense of hopelessness, as he did not know where to go.

The scene in which Mizushima gathered the dead bodies of his fellow countrymen in one place and mourned for them was meant as an atonement for his sins, I thought. I felt that it was Mizushima's way of atoning for his failure to save his fellow when he failed to negotiate surrender and left their bodies. However, Mizushima was again faced with the many dead bodies of his comrades as he went, and he decided to return to his platoon with the bodies of his fellow comrades left. However, after that, Private Mizushima sees the "Tomb of the Unknown Warrior of the Japanese Army" erected by the British troops and feels ashamed of himself for having left the dead bodies behind as he fled. He feels guilty that he had tried to return to Japan alive, which his deceased comrades could not do, and that he was distracted from the reality of the many dead bodies of his comrades, even though the enemy forces were mourning them. This is the reason behind his decision to remain in Myanmar. However, Mizushima's initial refusal to return to his unit would have seemed a mysterious action to the platoon, who were unaware of the countless bodies that Mizushima had seen on his way back to his platoon. The platoon understood the reason in the letter from Mizushima at the end, but I wondered how the platoon, which had repeatedly asked Mizushima to return when they did not know the reason, felt about Mizushima now that they knew the reason for his behavior. I felt from Mizushima a kind of greatness in people who live their lives not by worrying about what their peers think of them, but by figuring out what he should do. I felt that this film realistically conveys many painful decisions made during the war and the complex meaning of survival.

[sanamiyo]

I found your point where in this world, there might not be only one true fact. Everyone has every original perspective and we understand/look the thing in a different way. In addition, I agree with that looking at things objectively is so difficult that we cannot realize it. To make the same understanding as much as possible, we need communication. Not just telling what we think in one way, but also listening to and understand the other story and how they think so should be needed to make one fact.

Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa

I was surprised to find that the story was completely different from "Rashomon" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, as I initially thought it would be similar. Upon researching, I discovered that it seems to be based on his work "In a Grove." Personally, I found it more interesting than "No Regrets for Our Youth," directed by Akira Kurosawa.

In the story, all the witnesses assert their own opinions regarding the death of a man. They all lie to preserve their ego and reputation, or perhaps it is not lying at all; they may simply interpret the events according to their own convenience and consider them the truth. While there is one factual truth, the interpretation of truth varies from person to person. Human weaknesses and vanity distort the truth. A fourth witness reveals the real facts, but he also hides inconvenient truths. This is true even today and has become more pronounced with the proliferation of social media. It makes one question if what they see, feel, and know is 100% true. Since people perceive events and thoughts differently, it seems nearly impossible to think objectively about matters. This leads to a world where nothing can be believed, akin to hell. Therefore, I am happy that the appearance of a baby symbolizing hope for the future in the story's conclusion was a bright ending, suggesting that even in such a world, believing holds significance. However, it was very ironic and realistic that the monk who had told that the world is hell if you can't trust people became unable to trust others. Furthermore, the film sheds light on the gender disparity of the time, which was even worse than today.

The scenes of torrential rain akin to pounding the ground in "Rashomon," the page-turning scene transitions, and the weighty yet comical music were all impressive, but some scenes stood out. One is the scene where they enter the thicket. The camerawork, with grass obstructing the view, provided a sense of realism. Another memorable scene is the muddy fight sequence, rarely seen in films, which effectively conveys the men's clinging to life and fear of death. The direction, such as the camera moving along with the characters' gazes and the portrayal of rustling grass to signify the wind, was intriguing. Also, the staging of having the spirit of the murdered victim possessed by a shrine maiden to testify may have been innovative for its time. Throughout, despite being a black-and-white film, the contrast was stark, making the colors feel vivid and impactful.

Despite the poor audio quality, with many scenes where even I as a Japanese person could not understand what was being said, the actors were amazing in their acting, exaggerating their expressions and movements to the point of exaggeration. In each of the testimonies, they all had different personalities and faces, which made them seem like completely different people and powerful. Although the police were not shown or heard, the way they responded, their phases, and the way characters looked behind the camera made me feel as if they were there.

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Rashomon By Akira Kurosawa

First, I’ll write about what I was impressed by the techniques used in this film.  The use of the contrast of the sun and shade of the trees is impressive. In the scene of Tajomaru's recollection, the scene begins with Tajomaru sleeping under the shade of a tree. At this time, a samurai and his wife walk under the sun, and the contrast between Tajomeru being in the shadow and Samurai and the wife being in the light seems to emphasize the difference in their positions and social hierarchy. Later, however, in the scene where the samurai is being restrained  by Tajomaru, Tajomaru is under the sun and the samurai is shifted to be in the shadows. From this point on, the reversal of the situation is skillfully depicted by using light and shadow as well. I was impressed by this. As I wonder why there is so strong contrast of the light and shadow in this film, I looked it up and found out that Kurosawa used mirrors to depict the contrast of the sun light and the shadows in this film. I was surprised by this idea that he used mirrors to emphasize the sun's light twice as much in this period.

Next, I would like to write about the film in general. The film is composed of a series of scenes in which the recollections of the people involved in the case are linked together. By connecting the scenes of each person being interrogated in the garden of the prosecutor's office to their recollections, I got  the impression that each statement is true.

In the end, a man who claims to have witnessed the entire incident recounts the events, but when his story is revealed by the other man to be flawed, it becomes unclear whether the man's story, which was supposed to be the only answer, is true or not.

By portraying the vanity of the four men as the true story for each of them, the film skillfully expresses that human beings lie and put on airs to protect themselves and to make themselves look good to others, and it brilliantly brings human vanity into relief. Such ugly aspects of human nature can be seen throughout the times. I feel now we can see our vanity more easily.  Nowadays, for example, on Instagram, only the good parts of oneself are cut out and transferred as if they are the whole truth. It is just like the way the story of the four people in Kurosawa's Rashomon is told. Kurosawa has clearly confronted us with the unchanging ugliness of human beings who cut out the parts that are inconvenient for themselves and tell their stories. Such ugliness makes it impossible to believe anyone and even makes one feel despair. However, when the man witnessed the subsequent ego-oriented act of taking the clothes off a crying baby, he becomes aware of his own ego. This act means admitting his own vanity. The scene in which the man then decided to take the child and raise it shows his recognition of the ugly side of human nature and the struggle of human beings to live, however ugly. I felt that hope could also be found in this figure.

Lastly, I was impressed by Kurosawa's skillful use of landscapes and maison seine to express human nature.