Abschied

A family drama set in rural Japan in the early 1980s that deals with loss, family rivalry and drug addiction.

After the drowning of two children, the parents' marriage is irremediably destroyed and the father's life is destined for an adverse wandering, symbolized by a tattoo he gets in honor of his dead children, which he literally carries on his back for the rest of his life, on a progressive path of destruction.

An interesting social drama, mainly because it takes place in modern rural Japan, which we don't see that often on film, but that doesn't add anything new or special or really wins the viewer over.

If "Farewell to the Land" is trying to illuminate the pointless and dull existence of a loser with a life that is going nowhere, by making the viewer feel the same way, then the film maker has succeeded. Slow, mumbling, pointless film with utterly flat photography and uninteresting characters, this one holds zero entertainment value. And at 2 1/2 hours in length, it becomes an endurance test. I can't think of any reason to recommend tracking this movie down. There are certainly more worthwhile character studies for those looking for that kind of movie.