The new and possibly the final film by iconic Japanese director Nobuhiko Obayashi who turned eighty this year. He has managed to fulfill his longstanding dream while undergoing cancer treatment—to film Hanagatami, Kazuo Dan's novel about life, love, and youth on the eve of World War II.
Teenage Sakakiyama Toshiko returns to his homeland from Europe on the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the country's entry into World War II. The hero and his friends find themselves in the maelstrom of prewar chaos. Furious editing, an unpredictable camera, and a bright color scheme turn the film into a kaleidoscopic epic about fates and youth, sacrificed to a merciless and meaningless historical process.
Hanagatami
Director Nobuhiko Obayashi
Japan, 2017. 168 minutes. 18+
