Anssi Vartiainen The second to last film made by Akira Kurosawa. A film about three generations of Japanese forced to deal with the atomic bombing and its consequences. Also starring Richard Gere, for some weird reason.I'm vividly reminded of Isao Takahata of Studio Ghibli as I watch this film. He is a masterful film maker as well, but this is the first film from Kurosawa that I've seen where I felt I was not Japanese enough to fully get it. With Takahata that's most of his films. What the atomic bombs meant for Japan, and still do, is not something that can be easily understood by foreigners, and this film is not the one to explain it to them. Then again, I don't think that's its purpose. It's more of an essay to categorize how the Japanese themselves feel about the bombings.But, because I'm probably missing over half of what the film is trying to say, I'm left with a film that moves around languishingly, contains emotional cues which I have no way of getting, is very much subject matter over good story, and has Richard Gere in it.What am I supposed to say about a film like this? It's good. Probably. I assume... I mean, it's Kurosawa. And I don't regret seeing it. But I also didn't really get it.I need to study some history. Let's call it average in the meantime.

Luis Guillermo Cardona On August 9, 1945, six years into the bloodiest war concocted by governments of major powers, the humble Japanese people -that had nothing to do with the decisions of their barbarous rulers- he got up after another night marked by anxiety and terror. For the past six months, dozens of cities were being bombed by allied forces prepared to uproot every trace of fascism. And just three days before the most terrible bomb that has come to know humanity, had been released by the U.S. against the people of Hiroshima, killing 180,000 people with it, most of them, innocent civilians. Around noon, a beautiful and loving lady, look forward to her husband who, at that time, was in the city of Nagasaki. When the clock struck at the stroke of 11:00 am, she was out of the house looking at the mountains that separated the place where he was the father of her children. Two seconds later, heard, this time very close, another terrifying explosion as three days before, he did believe that had opened wide the gates of hell. A huge mushroom of fire and smoke curled over the mountains in the center of Nagasaki and an satanic eye kept on your retina the image of all those around him. About 80 thousand civilians, without any role in the conflict, were killed instantly and in the course of the year. It was Harry S. Truman' gift, to account for the "power" of the American nation. 46 years after of this insucess, the director Akira Kurosawa tried to do an act of reflection, forgiveness and reconciliation, hatred against any lag still persists in the minds of people. And a grandmother, the woman who was waiting for the husband who never returned and never was able to identify among charred corpses, feels that he has erased any resentment in his heart, but still thinks with pain in man she loved. Four grandchildren accompany now and the memories will come to your mind as a choice between a trip to Hawaii is put on the table.For unlucky, this is a timid film of little relevance and visual plot, and that does not achieve sufficient strength and sensitivity that we had used the master Kurosawa. The presence of Richard Gere gives very little, and the film dissolves without the emotional impact that we hoped we would.

trochesset The casting and dressing of the children. Not only are all of them horrible little actors, but their constumes are hideous, and the writing for them makes me cringe. If they weren't the main characters and the ones carrying the story along, then I may be able to overlook these flaws, but these are no minor flaws.The best parts of the film involve the grandma, be it her at the temple, her during the lightning storm at the house, or her running off in the rain, these were all well acted, all well shot, but not enough to save this production.Of the 19 Kurosawa films I have seen, this is easily the worst.3/10

bidochon When I saw this movie, I remembered Louis-Ferdinand Celine's book, "Journey to the End of the Night", a anti-war book. Reading reviews about the movie, listening to what people in the US had to say, seeing the reaction of the American media to this movie, I was sad, simply sad. This movie is not about Japan, it's not about America, it could have been anywhere a war had happened.This movie is a poem against war and the scars it leaves forever deep in the mind of the people who suffered those wars. Those who didn't suffer a war are lucky, and shouldn't be blamed for being this lucky, but they should see movies like this to understand what war is about. The world is never better after war. The first ones to agree to settle things through warfare are the ones who didn't suffer war. There are no winners in a war, just remember.I'm sorry that all those who felt attacked in their pride as Americans are missing the point of this movie. If your father or your grandfather, or your friend has been to war, just listen to them.The performance of the grandmother will make you forget you're watching a movie! It is filmed simply and un-pretentiously, though is a very emotional film.Enjoy.PS: Oh and I'm not Japanese...