"Is he crazy? Or are we, who can remain unperturbed in an insane world, the crazy ones?"
Sometimes fear can motivate intelligent behavior, e.g. changing course to mitigate risk. Sometimes it can lead to irrational behavior, e.g. getting anxious or obsessive, and then overreacting. In the case of the father of a family worried about nuclear war and further radiation in Japan even if it was between other countries, he believes he's doing the right thing by seeking to move them all to Brazil, and his adult children disagree, going to court to stop him. While we never learn the man's backstory or see it directly related to personal trauma, his PTSD-like reaction to a thunderstorm speaks volumes about his state of mind. Toshiro Mifune, as always, is compelling.
The film provides an interesting though sad window into Japan a decade after WWII, and in a larger sense, into global fears of nuclear annihilation. I love how Kurosawa shows us real angst; the man is torn apart by what he sees in the world, and his family is openly fighting with one another over stress and what to do about it. I suppose in a minor key it asks when can a family turn against the elder who has provided everything for them. Overall it's a little one-dimensional, though almost certainly more relevant today in a world that faces even greater existential risks. Worth seeing.
Sometimes fear can motivate intelligent behavior, e.g. changing course to mitigate risk. Sometimes it can lead to irrational behavior, e.g. getting anxious or obsessive, and then overreacting. In the case of the father of a family worried about nuclear war and further radiation in Japan even if it was between other countries, he believes he's doing the right thing by seeking to move them all to Brazil, and his adult children disagree, going to court to stop him. While we never learn the man's backstory or see it directly related to personal trauma, his PTSD-like reaction to a thunderstorm speaks volumes about his state of mind. Toshiro Mifune, as always, is compelling.
The film provides an interesting though sad window into Japan a decade after WWII, and in a larger sense, into global fears of nuclear annihilation. I love how Kurosawa shows us real angst; the man is torn apart by what he sees in the world, and his family is openly fighting with one another over stress and what to do about it. I suppose in a minor key it asks when can a family turn against the elder who has provided everything for them. Overall it's a little one-dimensional, though almost certainly more relevant today in a world that faces even greater existential risks. Worth seeing.