Taking place slightly after World War II, Nagisa Oshima's The Sun's Burial is the story of Tatsu, Takeshi, and Hanoko, three friends who live in the slums of Japan. Tatsu and Tekeshi are best friends whom are bored with their current situation, ultimately joining a gang for the sole purpose of having something to do. On the other end is Hanoko, a very strong-willed female character who seems to have a good understanding of what she wants, often doing whatever it takes to "get ahead" in life. Nagisha Oshima is without a doubt a masterful filmmaker, with many of his films having political/cultural intentions, and The Sun's Burial is certainly no diffrent. Throughout the film we follow thse three characters as they navigate through the slums. We witness blood trafficking, prostitution, assault, murder, etc, as these three young souls attempt to navigate their hostile existence. Deception is a common theme through The Sun's Burial as characters routinely decieve one and other for selfh reasons, with Tatsu and Tekeshi, best friends, unable to escape from turning on each other themselves. Oshima's films routinely fatures gorgeous cinematography and The Sun's Burial is no different, featuring beautiful contrast color imagery and composition. Oshima's film is certainly a nihilistic effort, though not to the same extent as say Koji Wakamatsu's films, with him essentially challenging the youth of Japan to make something of themselves by means other then deception. My only real issue with The Sun's Burial is that I found its overabundance of characters unnecessary and frankly hard to follow at times, inevitably deminishing the film's overall emotional impact on me. None the less, Taking place directly after World War II, The Sun's Burial emplores people to move past self-loathing and be productive, no doubt an important thematic element given the film's release. 7.5/10
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
|