Onoda, 10 000 nuits dans la jungle

Greetings again from the darkness. There has been no shortage of conspiracy theories, either recently or historically, that have left non-believers bewildered at how 'the other side' held firm. Writer-director Arthur Harari and his co-writers Bernard Cendron and Vincent Poymiro bring the remarkable struggle of Hiroo Onoda to the screen. Onoda was a Japanese soldier who refused to believe WWII ended, and instead, continued his mission of resistance by spending thirty years in a Filipino jungle.

Onoda was only 22 when he entered the war in 1944. He is played as a young man by Yuya Endo, and in later years by Kanji Tsuda. The film goes mostly in chronological order, with only occasional flashbacks to Onoda's "special training" by Taniguchi (Issey Ogata), his trainer and trainer. The passing of years is noted on screen, and we watch as Onoda's squadron shrinks in size, holding at four for quite a while, before shifting to two, and finally only he remains. During the special training, Taniguchi declares, "You don't have the right to die", instilling a firm commitment to the cause in Onoda.

Also seared into Onoda's brain is the proclamation of, "We'll come back for you. No matter how long it takes, we'll come back for you." Still, it's fascinating to see his determination to keep fighting, despite so many signs that the war was over. He viewed magazine articles and radio broadcasts as tricks to draw him away from his mission ... going so far to decipher a coded message that was anything but that.

The young man who finally succeeds in lulling Onoda out of the jungle has his own mission - actually three of them: finding a panda, locating Onoda (by this time a legend), and tracking down a Yeti. It's a bittersweet moment for the long-dedicated soldier, and he went on to live many more years as a home country icon - considered a nationalist man of honor by some, a murdering fool by others. The film, and Onoda's saga, makes us question the point of war when it's impossible to tell if the war is over or ongoing. Harari's film is almost three hours, which is entirely too long ... but significantly shorter than the time Onoda spent in the jungle.

Releasing in theaters on October 14, 2022.

Although a little bit long, this is about offering us to share a rather unique and captivating life experience, that of brainwashed Japanese soldiers who only stopped the war 30 years after the capitulation. I appreciated the warm and moist beauty of the jungle and the tropical forest, the change of scenery provided, the sober image which seems authentic and of the period, the "film" aspect and documentary grain. Documentary also as long as there is no lady state. Innocent people go there. The story that is told to us is quite simply captivating and I would not have believed that this anecdote from History, which could be summed up in a few lines, could fit into such a great film. With hindsight, however, I can understand that it does not please some who would fall into boredom; with this film it's a bit all or nothing, you have to succeed in immersing yourself. It is a French film, and as such it must be emphasized that it is a nugget.

What a good surprise this film directed by a French and speaking of the war in the Pacific from the Japanese point of view. So unexpected and awesome in the same time. I could not believe that this young director is not under the influence of Clint Eastwood's LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, John Boorman's HELL IN THE PACIFIC or Kon Ichikawa's FIRES IN THE PLAINS. Impossible for me to think that he would have never heard of those three iconic films. Back to this one, I don't know how anyone could say harm about it, except maybe a bit too long; yes, maybe. Plus, it speaks not only of the japanese soldiers, but not the kamikaze or simple fighters, but some kind of secret section of soldiers sent into a Philippines Island. The young director from France is also aware of the Mizoguchi's influence and with the poetic lines of the Japanese spirit. Good film to be watched at any cost. Only for this incredible but so authentic story.

The movie's really good. The beginning kinda drags on, despite you perfectly understanding the stakes, but it pays out in the end.

The characters are lovable, the story's not far from what really happened. The picture's great, although slightly blurry sometimes.

Really worth it.

The case of Onoda, a WW2 Japanese soldier who carried on fighting for thirty years on the Philippine island of Lubang before being persuaded to give up, was a celebrated case in the mid 1970s, and I was really impressed by this dramatic reconstruction of his life. It's a high quality movie, beautifully filmed, thoughtful, and well played all round, though I also thought it a bit too long at more than 2.5 hours. There are great performances all round and solid direction which almost has a David Lean approach at times (no bad thing), so it's a 'small scale epic' with a heart, and well worth a view. There are some supremely effective moments, and the film deserves a wider audience, though you do have spare quite a bit of time.