Seibei Iguchi, a low-ranking samurai, leads a life without glory as a bureaucrat in the mid-XIX century Japan. A widower, he has charge of two daughters and a senile mother; he must therefore work in the fields and accept piecework to make ends meet. New prospects seem to open up when Tomoe, his long-time love, divorces a brutal husband. However, even as the Japanese feudal system is unraveling, Seibei remains bound by the code of honour of the samurai, and the turbulent times conspire against him.
During it's release The Twilight Samurai met an hailstorm of awards and praise, and rightfully so. Even though it's more focused on drama rather than fighting, it's one of the best samurai films I've ever seen. Director Yoji Yamada has, much like Hirokazu Kore-eda (Nobody Knows), a huge talent for looking at family and relationships, and makes you really invested in the fates of the characters. You feel for Seibei more so than any bloodthirsty samurai, and it feels like a very realistic portrayal of a struggling mans life in Japan's Edo-period.
Genre: Drama/Romance
No comments:
Post a Comment