The film won the Best Actress Silver Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival. The film is most notable for chronological episodes, carefully edited in the script, to minimize unnecessary footage. While the film is centered around the life of Tome, her parents' life take up the early part (pre-World War II Japan) of the film which is lovingly made by Imamura. The tale might be of the life of Tome but the tale encapsulates the world of Japan pre-WWII where peasants were bonded laborers of the rich, WWII, post-WWII and the behavior of Americans in Japan towards women, American's war in Korea which the common Japanese can't comprehend, the relationship of one Japanese woman (not Tome) with an American man and later with a Korean man, jail life for a woman in Japan, farm cooperatives in latter day Japan that improves the rice served in trains, etc. The link between the episodes is with a song sung by Tome/her mother. The opening visuals of the insect is very well-integrated with the human tale that follows.
The development of the Tome's father--a simpleton with a good heart--may be short but well presented.
The film is also important as it is made by a man presenting the life of women with empathy, just as John Ford did with his swansong "7 Women."
I had the honor of interviewing the director Imamura in 1984 in Mumbai for the All India Radio.
The development of the Tome's father--a simpleton with a good heart--may be short but well presented.
The film is also important as it is made by a man presenting the life of women with empathy, just as John Ford did with his swansong "7 Women."
I had the honor of interviewing the director Imamura in 1984 in Mumbai for the All India Radio.