Movie No. 170 (2013): CATERPILLAR
Caterpillar (2010)
Director: Koji Wakamatsu
Cast: Shenobu Terajima, Keigo Kasuya, Emi Masuda
In Japanese, with English subtitles
This is the story of a Japanese soldier and his wife, set during the Sino-Japanese War in 1940. The soldier left their village to defend the country. He returned as an honored and well-decorated soldier, but without limbs. The village puts a pressure on the wife to take care of the her husband, the soldier, as a duty to honor the Emperor and the country.
Director: Koji Wakamatsu
Cast: Shenobu Terajima, Keigo Kasuya, Emi Masuda
In Japanese, with English subtitles
This is the story of a Japanese soldier and his wife, set during the Sino-Japanese War in 1940. The soldier left their village to defend the country. He returned as an honored and well-decorated soldier, but without limbs. The village puts a pressure on the wife to take care of the her husband, the soldier, as a duty to honor the Emperor and the country.
The film is creepy. A lot of scenes made me uncomfortable watching. I can sense that the film is a direct attack on nationalism (and fascism) the Japanese are known for, specially during war. This film shows the soldier as a vulnerable human being, not as war hero. The photography effectively captures the 'coldness' of the two major characters in the film.
The film is generally good. But I will not see it again.
Rating: 3.0/4.0
Date seen: September 22, 2013
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