Drama digest
This is a Japanese movie depicting the war times. During World War II, Japan, alongside many other nations was developing an atomic bomb too. The story portrays the nuances around this secret mission of Japan and the lives of the three main characters.
Feel-good part
The director has done an exceptional job of portraying the nuances as well as human emotions in the period of war. He harshly, but subtly puts forward the reality Japan was facing at the time of World War II. Most importantly, he throws light on the secret mission that Japan carried out during that time, bringing it to the audience’s notice. The story is based on the real-life attempts of Japan to help the military during the war times.
The disappointing factor:
Though the story is intriguing from the start to the end, it does have some minus points. The tone used in the movie seems over-dramatic sometimes, which does not go along with the story. There are war scenes that can be disturbing for some viewers.
In-depth analysis:
The story starts in Kyoto during the times of the end of World War II. While the world was trying to recover from the war, every nation was developing its nuclear weapons for its security. Along with these nations, Japan was secretly developing nuclear weapons too. This story takes place a few months before Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki were hit by America’s infamous atomic bombing. At the start of the story, fresh graduates from the Kyoto university decide to help the military in order to recover from the Great War. The audience comes to learn the secret of Japan being indulged in developing nuclear weapons too even though it was destroyed by America later. These weapons were being developed by the graduates but it wasn’t without obstacles. There were a lot of things at stake and the uncertainty of it being a successful mission. The resources available to create an atomic bomb were also lacking. This group consisted mainly of Shu (Yûya Yagira), who was the leader of the team, under their boss, Arakatsu (Jun Kunimura). They undertook this mission to help their Japanese brothers and sisters, dying on the battlefields. The story also revolves around the discovery of complicated feelings among the three leads of the show who are Shu, Hiruyoki (Shi’a step-brother), and their childhood friend, a girl named Setsu.
Star power
The star of the show is Yuya Yagira, who portrays Shu, who was a star even before the show. He has won the Cannes best actor award for Hirokazu Koreeda’s “Nobody Knows.” He became the youngest actor ever at 12 years old to win a Cannes award. His character Shu is a character based on a real-life person’s story from the war, whose book was discovered by the director of the movie.
Overall opinion
The movie is a raw attempt to depict the war-struck Japan along with the relationships between its characters. The music, the scenes, everything contributes to the seriousness of the movie. But, viewer discretion is needed for this movie.
