Kibô no kuni

After a string of excellent movies (showcasing an awesome, almost frightening consistency of quality) - e.g. Suicide Club, Noriko's Dinner Table, Love Exposure, Guilty of Romance - Shion Sono provides his most mature film to date with "The Land of Hope".

This is a movie about roots, growing up, self-discovery, death, life and the possibilities of learning more about yourself through hardship. This is a movie about commitment - in love as well as in life - and how to make good things happen in a bad world. This is a good movie about bad things happening to good and bad people alike.

To get the bad out of the way, the old tropes that Sion uses in every one his films are still there: drama veering on melodrama (but never actually taking the plunge), classical and romantic music played to death to evoke emotions, long scenes that are sure to test the audience's patience...

But even there, even when I thought the director had failed - in the placing of a long-winded scene or the evocation of an easy emotion - the dramatic pay-off ALWAYS justifies everything that has come before. The film provides, indeed, one of the most emotionally draining, spiritually breathtaking third acts that I have ever seen in a film.

The most astounding parts of this film are, in no particular order: 1) the stellar acting, especially by the old couple who form the heart of the film, 2) the scenery of real-life Fukushima set in the fictive town of Nagashima, 3) the beautiful cinematography, editing and post-production, 4) the interplay of "official reality" (dreamlike illusion) vs. what is actually happening on ground level, 5) the post-apocalyptic, slightly surreal suspense, almost like a horror film, of the ever-present nuclear danger, 6) the psychological and sociological meltdown resulting from a nuclear meltdown, 7) the complex web of characters and life stories woven in the fabric of the film.

Overall, there is little to hold me back from heartily recommending this film to serious movie-lovers everywhere.

Over-effusive praise is self-defeating, because it can throw people off. It's not a perfect film. There is still something in the Japanese style of movie making that allows for meandering shots at times. There are still ways of refining the craft forward; I have high hopes Shion Sono's best film is still ahead of him.

But honestly, there is not much else to criticize. All I can say is that this movie demanded everything, and gave back everything, in the course of its perfectly timed journey and the well-planned catharsis.

People in the West should take note of his name, for his work transcends cultural barriers. He has the power to blow floodgates of emotion wide open. Sono has, indeed, after a series of great films, proved himself to be one of the most interesting and powerful directors living the world today. And here, perhaps, on the mellow suffering of his countrymen, he has crafted the crown jewel of his career.

Anyone familiar with the work of Sion Sono knows he pushes the limits of things, whether they be taste or life. This film does the same but in an entirely different way from his more recent work. The film is about an earthquake in Nagashima and possible effects of radiation from a nuclear power plant not that far away. Yasuhiko Ono refuses to leave, staying with his wife Chieko, who has a form of dementia. He is asked to leave and refuses, but insists his son Yoichi and daughter in law Izumi (played by the star of Sono's Guilty Of Romance, Megumi Kagurazaka)evacuate, which they finally do. Izumi finds out she is pregnant and, though according to the government is in a safe area, is so cautious about radiation she makes everyone in town dislike her. If you have never lived through a natural disaster you would have no idea what to do. Despite this, the film is not depressing. There are moments that are poignant, but its also about a by now weary people and the choices they make. A particularly amazing scene is when Yasuhiko finds Chieko, who wandered away, and puts her on his back. That expression of love is simple but uplifting. While the subject matter can be emotionally jarring, it is a film with purpose and even some restraint. Mr. Sono continues to be a terrific writer/director and this somewhat departure from his latest films like Love Exposure, Cold Fish and Guilty Of Romance is just another example of his uncompromising, brilliant work.

Watching this movie 5 years after Covid19 became a thing, I was just struck by the parallels. The stakes that went through the heart of society, the mask, the spacesuit, the social response, fraying relationships. All of it comes through. It also helps me rethink my own behavior and be empathetic of how others acted in that time.

Perhaps we humans are all the same, a very moving, very human story, even for those who have never experienced an earthquake or seen a nuclear plant.

This movie was also a little surprising, coming from Sono. This film is simpler and deeper than others. My favourite continues to be Love. Exposure but this this is a refreshing expansion of his repertoire.