Uma Família Americana

This film premiered Sunday at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. While there have been a number of excellent documentaries on this subject, this is the first commercial film I have seen which has the potential for such broad appeal with American audiences. The director has assembled a wonderful cast of actors--both veterans and new, young actors. Gary Cole gives a subtle, but authentic performance as the military supervisor of the camp. Excellent supporting roles by Seth Sakai,Sarah Drew,Judy Ongg and Susanna Thompson add to the vitality of this ensemble. Newcomers Aaron Yoo and Leonardo Nam as the Namuro brothers are impressive. Not enough good things can be said about the Japanese veteran actor, Masatoshi Nakamura, who plays the father of the Namuro family. It is a dynamic performance and his character is the strength of this story. Shot on location in Utah, the film delivers a hard look at the Topaz internment camp and the realities of the daily lives of the interns and their captors. The mixture of period archival footage frames the story for the audience whose knowledge of the subject is minimal. Using baseball and jazz as a narrative device, this is a film the children and grandchildren of the World War II generation need to see.

When I saw the movie "American Pastime", there was a Q and A afterward. This film is a compilation of many of the experiences that friends and relatives of the screen writer had during the Japanese internment camps of WWII. The producer and director stated that the entire film was filmed in Utah, near where one of the internment camps had been, so the actors could feel and understand even the weather, sand, and restrictive situations that happened.

Inspite of the seriousness of the situation, the viewer will laugh, think, and cry as they watch this film. The baseball scenes were fun, but one knows it was a bit over the top. That didn't hurt the film though. During the Q and A, we were told that baseball really was a big part of life at internment camps.

The actors were sincere. I only hope that because this film is a small budget film, that it does not get lost in the shuffle. I think it was one of the best films I have seen this year, and I go to the movies a lot..It is a sure thing.

I saw "American Pastime" on Saturday, and my only disappointment with the evening, was the meager size of the audience. There were only a handful of people in the theater. This film deserves a wide audience, hence my score and this high and enthusiastic endorsement.

I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about the Japanese-American internment during WWII. My father and uncle were imprisoned at Mathausen in the European side of WWII. Despite my previous exposure and direct family experience, this film was still a revelation. My previous knowledge of the Japanese-American WWII experience was based mostly on plays, documentaries, and reading. Watching documentaries, particularly with interviews of camp survivors, is always very moving and heartrending. Although a dramatic fictionalized film, seeing the daily indignities and humiliations endured by the Japanese-Americans gave me even a deeper understanding of their experience.

Let anyone reading this conclude that the film is a "downer," rest assured that despite the subject matter, it is ultimately a life-affirming, spiritually uplifting film, and ironically, entertaining. The director and screenwriter have created a compelling story, which illuminates an egregious breach of justice in US history. Yet the story is very engaging, as are the talented cast of characters. The screenplay is evenhanded and compassionate, including the point of view of the guards and townspeople near the camp. Go see it. You will learn something, while being uplifted and entertained.

This movie should be presented as Middle School curriculum across the U. S. The screenwriter and director do a great job creating an entertaining and historical movie that provokes a myriad of emotion with a humanitarian message. I love that American Pastime brings attention to Japanese American's love for baseball. The California 'Nisei' baseball league that continues to thrive to this day, was originated after the Japanese Americans were released form the Internment camps after WWII. I had the privilege to compete in this league for 15 years and continue to support it. This is a sleeper of a movie that can be enjoyed by any generation, especially if you find romance in baseball, history and family.

The producers of this movie should team with Clint Eastwood to create an blockbuster honoring the 442nd. "Go For Broke"

This film is made to inspire by showing the dignity of man, but as I contemplate it after viewing, I become more and more depressed that cruelty toward ethnic groups here in the United States has abated little during my lifetime.

It is the story of Americans of Japanese decent who were put in relocation (prison) camps during World War II. One of the young men forced into the camp was an excellent baseball player who was getting ready to go off to college on a full athletic scholarship. His other love was jazz at which he was also very good. Baseball and jazz - American to the core. The young man - American to the core - treated as less than a citizen because of his heritage.

The conditions in the camp are not depicted in a way that shows how harsh they actually were, however the eye-opening events (for younger viewers) and reminders of how things were (for viewers of my age) are the scenes of unabashed prejudice by the townspeople and the military against the members of the camp. Those of us who have lived through the 40's and 50's know that those times were anything but politically correct.

It has always been a mystery to me that we call our country "The Great Melting Pot," and yet we abhor the individual ingredients that go into the pot. As I write this review, my three-year-old grand-nephew is visiting. I wonder if his United States will be the one steeped in hatred and fear of minority groups as is mine. I fear so. Human nature is not prone to change.

As I said, American Pastime is made to celebrate the dignity of man, and it certainly does a good job of it. It is a good movie that gives you a good feeling if you can manage to put aside the underlying and continuing darker side of we humans.