Post by manfromplanetx on Apr 1, 2018 21:47:09 GMT
Kiku to Isamu (1959) Tadashi Imai
Tadashi Imai known for his left-wing social realist filmmaking boldly portrays in the first film in Japan to highlight, Blasians (mixed-race children) . In recent history & directly linked to the American occupation of Japan following the end of World War II, African-Japanese children were born from unions between American GIs and Japanese women, many were conceived through prostitution, some through interracial marriages.
As they aged the biracial children born from these liaisons faced severe public discrimination and suffered marginalization. Due in part to the re-emergence of nationalism in Japan, but universally, the base human traits of bigotry and ignorance come into play. This wonderful film explores the difficulty faced daily in the lives of two such children, sister & brother, Kiku and Isamu. Orphaned siblings they live with their grandmother, each has a different black GI father.
Disadvantaged from the start, born into the world on the "wrong side of the tracks", the future holds confronting social challenges for coming of age Kiku and her brother Isamu. The touching multi faceted drama has a positive tone, never dwelling or held back in the negative, progressive & forward thinking, Kiku to Isamu is a humanist drama of exceptional quality and depth. Highly Recommended.
Winner Best Film: Kinema Junpo Award 1960 , Blue Ribbon Awards 1959 , Mainichi Film Award 1959
Blue Ribbon, Best Actress: Tanie Kitabayashi Best Screenplay Youko Mizuki
Tadashi Imai known for his left-wing social realist filmmaking boldly portrays in the first film in Japan to highlight, Blasians (mixed-race children) . In recent history & directly linked to the American occupation of Japan following the end of World War II, African-Japanese children were born from unions between American GIs and Japanese women, many were conceived through prostitution, some through interracial marriages.
As they aged the biracial children born from these liaisons faced severe public discrimination and suffered marginalization. Due in part to the re-emergence of nationalism in Japan, but universally, the base human traits of bigotry and ignorance come into play. This wonderful film explores the difficulty faced daily in the lives of two such children, sister & brother, Kiku and Isamu. Orphaned siblings they live with their grandmother, each has a different black GI father.
Disadvantaged from the start, born into the world on the "wrong side of the tracks", the future holds confronting social challenges for coming of age Kiku and her brother Isamu. The touching multi faceted drama has a positive tone, never dwelling or held back in the negative, progressive & forward thinking, Kiku to Isamu is a humanist drama of exceptional quality and depth. Highly Recommended.
Winner Best Film: Kinema Junpo Award 1960 , Blue Ribbon Awards 1959 , Mainichi Film Award 1959
Blue Ribbon, Best Actress: Tanie Kitabayashi Best Screenplay Youko Mizuki