war is in their blood

Justen 2022-02-25 08:02:35

My impression of the impact of World War II on China and Japan is still in all the domestic anti-Japanese dramas: the aggressors were brutal, raped and looted, the national army fought heroically, and the lives of the people were better than death. Everything stays at the most tragic and tragic moment, all experiences and emotions are pushed to the extreme, and what is the long-term impact of the war on the people, what is the life form of the survivors who spend the rest of their lives under the influence of the war, and works that reflect similar themes Seems rare, at least I haven't seen it. So far, my impression of the war has only remained in the tragic and tragic appearance. It seems that after the war, all the pain will be wiped out. Interestingly, it was the films of the two Japanese directors that gave me a better understanding of the impact of war on the people.

"Black Rain" can be regarded as a war reflection film. Through the experience of a family who experienced the Hiroshima nuclear bombing during the war and after the war, it reflects how World War II became a nightmare that haunted the Japanese people for a lifetime. Perhaps due to the reason of the defeated country, the film did not make too much explicit condemnation and accusation for the evil deeds of the United States throwing atomic bombs. From the beginning to the end, it did not show any relevant scenes of the US military, but focused on the purgatory on earth. The tragic situation of the Japanese people affected by the war. The charred corpse's limbs were curled into branches, the bloody face, and the indistinct beast-like moans came one after another. Bombed cities are no longer cities, and bombed people are no longer people. what is it then? I don't have the answer, war robs man of everything that can be robbed.

Although the film vividly shows the tragic nature of the war, the war will always end, and what is endless is actually the rest of your life under the aftershocks of the war. The people of Hiroshima spend the rest of their lives under the shadow of nuclear radiation. Because the onset of "atomic disease" is unknown, the symptoms are unknown, so people live with a ticking time bomb, living in its shadow all the time, even in the shadows. Due to being unable to work, marry, and have children... The protagonist's friends, wives, and nieces fell ill one after another. One funeral procession after another, the people who saw him off were always the same, or there was one less recently deceased person, who was holding a portrait. After changing one after another, the protagonist's superlative words have also changed from being in a hurry at the first funeral to being so perfect that they can be faked.

I finally understand that war does not only exist in the most tragic sacrifices and atrocities, but also in the rest of the life of the person who has experienced it. , there is nowhere to escape.

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Extended Reading
  • Ulices 2022-04-20 09:02:34

    Why is "Cut the Belly" a black and white film? Kobayashi Masaki said it was for censorship, because "the audience will not think that it is too cruel for an actor to cut his belly with black blood. Black is not real." Why is "Black Rain" a black and white film? Imamura Shohei's understanding of black is obviously very different from that of Kobayashi.

  • Fletcher 2022-04-24 07:01:24

    #BJIFF2021# can be called the anatomy of Japanese nationality. The long-standing terrorist threat and psychological trauma after the nuclear explosion, the thematic connection between defeat and marrying a daughter has never been so clear, and the twisted psychology hidden in daily life is human nature. Imamura always uses the little people scattered in reality Destiny fills up a miniature painting of the entire society. The black rain and shadow never dissipate, and the rainbow behind the mountain never comes. It stretches longer than night and fog, and is deeper than crime and punishment.

Black Rain quotes

  • Shigematsu Shizuma: "An unjust peace is better than a just war." It's important to note that this is said cynically.