
Watches
February 06, 2022
In his final years, Obayashi was greatly invested in WWII and how it influenced and characterized the Japanese identity. The resulting films are quite experimental, long and difficult to capture in a mere couple of sentences. On the other hand, they do start to feel a bit samey and predictable.
Reiko has a thing for stories of the past, so she's always on the look-out for remarkable tales. She visits Nagaoka, a city that had it rough during WWII, where she meets up with people who dig up memories and tell her how they experienced the war. Through their stories they reveal some little known tidbits of information.
The peculiar collage effect is interesting and there are some neat visual ideas, others feel a bit outdated and poorly executed. The performances aren't too great either, a more natural approach would've helped the impact of the drama. His films are still pretty fun though, just a bit long and uneven.
More by the director
Nobuhiko Ôbayashi

Sada

Bound for the Fields, the Mountains, and the Seacoast

Emotion

Hanagatami

House

Lonelyheart

Switching - Goodbye Me

The Little Girl Who Conquered Time

The Visitor in the Eye

Beijing Watermelon

Chizuko's Younger Sister

Cute Devil

Four Sisters

Goodbye for Tomorrow

His Motorbike, Her Island

I Are You, You Am Me

Labyrinth of Cinema

Samurai Kids

School in the Crosshairs

The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi

The Discarnates

The Drifting Classroom

Haruka, Nostalgia

Seven Weeks

Take Me Away!

The Deserted City

The Island Closest to Heaven

The Rocking Horsemen
