For Those We Love (2007) User Reviews

Interesting Film

[gordonl56 · 7/10 · 3 January 2015]

FOR THOSE WE LOVE – 2007

This World War Two film is about the young Japanese Army Air force pilots based at a single airbase during the last months of the war. The barely out of training young men are told that the only way to save their country, is with kamikaze attacks on the US fleet.

The story is related by the owner of a local diner where the pilots gather off duty. The woman sees all the new faces and just as quickly they vanish into the fog of war.

We see just how the pilots react to their instructions. Some are quite willing to die for their country while others are not. They however still go, as it is all a matter of honour.

For a war film, there is only about 10 minutes of actual action. And what action it is. The young pilots fly their obsolete Ki-43 fighters into waves of American fighters and a sky full of anti-aircraft fire. The few that make through to the US fleet then have to do a death dive into the enemy ships.

Even though the film is a bit light action wise, it does hold the viewer's attention. It is always interesting to see the Pacific conflict through the eyes of the other side.

Gods of the Rising Sun¡¡¡¡¡¡¡

[montferrato · 10/10 · 27 November 2010]

I have been always interested in WWII, and also in the pacific war. So, when i saw this movie on an stand of a DVD shop, i felt curious and i bought it. We are all used to see the American perspective of things. The reason i bought this movie was that i wanted to see a genuine Japanese perspective.

Of course, i did not expect "star wars" special effects. So, do not expect that.

This movie is extremely moving and passionate, and presents the reality of war in a quite real perspective. This movie conveys very well two ideas: 1. Tragedy: The movie is sad. It could not be otherwise. This is not comedy, but very deep emotional drama. We see clearly the manipulations of the politicians and military high staff to induce the people to join the suicide squads. To die so young and in such a meaningless way is terrible.

2. Beauty and Pride: It is extremely moving to see the young pilots fly to their deaths. But it is also extremely beautiful in the way it is depicted. This is not epic cinema in the "Lord of the Rings way", where Gandalf can save your ass just using a magic trick(therefore, unreal). There are not grandiloquent epic speeches like those pronounced by Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, but extremely short and tough (therefore, extremely real).

No, this is real. The boys are sent to death in a very sad ceremony in which they drink sake and are greeted by women before they fly to death. It is really strange to watch, and many contradictory feelings arise when you contemplate these hyper-realistic scenes.

However, despite the overwhelming sense of uselessness and misery, the movie also conveys very well the emotions of the Kamikaze pilots. Some are confused, some do not want to die and are against the whole thing, but a great deal of them do agree with this thing, and are genuinely ready to sacrifice themselves. One of the motto of the kamikazes in this movie is: "We will die for those whom we love". So, in the minds of many of these people, the idea of sacrificing their lives in order to help his country was not only acceptable but honorable and worthy.

After watching the movie, i could not help it but feeling a great deal of admiration for the pilots who flied to their deaths willingly and passionately. There is here something deeply emotional, savage, passionate, strange and profoundly beautiful about them. They were sad in a way, but they were also real, credible and actual godlike heroes.

Most epic movies tend to portrait heroes who are not afraid to die and survive just in the last minute due to not very credible stunts. Here, you see very normal people. You see young men with girlfriends, brothers, sisters, parents and friends. One is a peasant. Other is a Baker, other a musician. They all feel a deep fear and their emotions are confused and mixed. Also, some of them are not convinced of the purpose of the suicidal tactics. However, in the end, they all fly to their deaths, and carry their mission. These are true human heroes. I suppose one may call them idiots or madmen from a western-pragmatic point if view, but out of respect and admiration, i would not call them that.

However, the big success of the movie is that they are very accurately described: they are common people: some are mislead, some are fanatics, but most of them are completely normal. And nevertheless, they do find the courage to accept a tragic destiny and die for their country and fellow countrymen.

So, yes, this is a strongly epic movie.

So, eternal greetings to the Gods of the Rising Sun. I hope they rest in peace.

A lady's memoirs of the young kamikaze pilots who ate at her diner, as told by the Governor of Tokyo

[whatdoes1know · 13 July 2007]

We are told early on that the kamikaze missions were entirely suicidal, and that therefore sinking a ship wasn't half as important as dying in front of the enemy. In the same breath, "voluntary" enlistment for those missions is revealed to have been an irrevocable order. Once the demented premise established, the episodes of various young men and how they spent their last moments come and go, as simply and as mercilessly as History sent off its zero fighters. The grainy footage and detail to military mannerism and apparatus give an authentic flavor that counterbalances the poor effects and sparse, but undeniable awful (child) acting. The first two thirds are drama heavy, and the climactic beautifully and obviously computer-generated aerial battle comes early at the head of the third act, which then peters out into a dragging epilogue about the aftermath of war that stretches out of the frame into the present. Personally, I have never found that plot device a good idea to begin with, but it is especially poorly executed in Japanese movies, such as Otoko-tachi no Yamato (2005), Lorelei (2005), The Twilight Samurai (2002), or Murudeka 17805 (2001). The credits should start rolling right after the last plane crashes, leaving the remaining twenty minutes to those who wish to stay seated. The weight of the movie still rests in the first half hour, but that alone is worth the price of admission. The Governor of Tokyo scripted the movie based on the stories he heard from the diner lady around whom the movie is centered.

Good Movie!

[ronbrydge · 8/10 · 1 November 2020]

I really liiked this flick. Unlike US movies always showing the victors side, it was nice seeing what the other side went through. Japan does some good war flicks. I also really liked the movie "Otoko-tachi no Yamato (2005) "........

a unique perspective

[roundtablet · 8/10 · 10 June 2018]

"For those we love" is quite a different take on a war drama. Instead of showing the suffering people went through caused by the war, it shows the last days of the people who went willingly into their own death to die for something they believed in. This movie can be pretty depressing depending on how to look at it. I saw these characters presented in the movie as products of their time and being indoctrinated to give up their young lives to a cause utterly meaningless. But then again, so it is for every soldier in a war. The difference here is that we see everything from the perspective of the Kamikaze pilots, which after the war ended, became a pretty bad image, mainly because japan lost and like they say: "history is written by the winners". On top of seeing the war from another perspective I found this movie to be very sad at some parts. It needs a bit build up and may be a bit repetitive, but I enjoyed it and I can only recommend it.