Movie Digest
A major earthquake strikes a region of Japan, the 3/11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. A bolt loosens at a nuclear power plant, causing coolant to spill from the pipes of a pressure control tank. A man and his colleague go to tighten the bolt, but this disaster serves as the catalyst that throws the man’s life into disarray.
The Feel-Good Part
This film gives us a great visual experience of the effect of the tragedy in Japan. The use of sounds, framing, lights, etc., was an advantage in understanding different scenes and their emotions.
The Disappointing Factor
Some of the dramatic elements are repeated far too often at one point. It is why the entire story becomes redundant.
In-Depth Analysis
Bolt is a story that combines three fictitious episodic storylines around the 11th March earthquake and nuclear accident in Tohoku. It focuses on the truth of three separate effects – responsibility, remorse, and sadness through loss – during and after the Fukushima tragedy through structure fiction. The film splits the story into three parts. The common factor in all three episodes is a man who is the main character. Each episode is vital as a factor that influences the characters’ behavior. Bolt is the title of the first episode. It follows our middle-aged heroes on a mission to tighten a bolt to prevent radioactive cooling water from poisoning. The second episode, named Life, set in 2013, follows two guys who clean up the residence of a recently deceased person near the Fukushima plant’s perimeter. One does it for money, while the other volunteers, possibly to alleviate some of the remorse he feels over what happened inside the nuclear facility. In the third episode, titled Good Year, set in 2014 Christmas, a woman in a red car collides with the man as he works in the garage. The woman resembles his wife, who perished in the tsunami. It’s symbolic of how the leading man’s mind has been torn apart in the years since the catastrophe.
Star Power
The common denominator in each episode is the role of the actor Masatoshi Nagase. He did a brilliant job of evoking various emotions in each episode.
Overall Opinion
The base of this film is not new, but it is a great visual experience. Highly recommend it!
