A journalist is reporting on the 1997 Kobe earthquake, as he remembers a trip made as a young boy. Then, he and family took a boat trip from Awaji to Beppu in order to bury the ashes of his elder brother, killed in the just-ended WWII. The lad spends much of the trip trying to talk his elder brother out of running away. They encounter an array of characters on the journey. Most prominent among them a black marketeer who, like the elder brother, feels that the "new ways" can only benefit him, and work against the boys' father, who is strict and traditional.
I've always had a soft spot for films that delves into feelings of nostalgia and old memories. It resonates with me more on a personal level and makes me reach back far in my own memory and remember things I'd thought was forgotten. Moonlight Serenade is about remembering ones childhood, both the hard times and the joyful moments too.
Director Masahiro Shinoda was 15 years old when the war ended and one can imagine he drew a lot from experience when depicting a nation trying to recover from disaster, and also how American culture was seeping into Japan. Shinoda mainly focuses on portraying family and the different directions children take.
Genre: Drama
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