Haha to kuraseba

This film tells the story of a midwife in a Japanese village, who lost her son in the Nagasaki nuclear bombing in 1945. After three years, she finally comes to terms with her son's death. Right after that, her son's spirit appears and chats with her about their past, present and future.

The film shows the simple life in a Japanese village after the war. Resources are scarce, and food is rationed. People still help each other out in the village, and the sense of community remains strong.

Much of the film occurs in the house, and shots are rather static. It may seem boring to the modern day cinema goer who is used to fast pacing, but in here it augments the mood of austerity, emptiness and loss. They talk at length about their past, present and future. The supporting characters, namely Machiko and Shanghai uncle are captivating characters too.

I find it interesting that the inability to accept the reality shifts from the mother, the girlfriend and then the son. As time goes by, they all reach resolutions respectively. It is a good story.

A striking thing for me is that the characters in the film are Christians. It may be the filmmaker's way to show that there are more similarities between different nationalities, and there is really only one humanity. People should support each other and seek happiness, just like the characters in the film do.

Koji dies when the atomic bomb falls on Nagasaki. He was a medical student, living with his mother, his father and brother already dead, and thinking about marriage with his girlfriend Machiko. His mother is left alone, trying to survive in the struggle after the end of the war.

"Living with My Mother" is a very touching, slow, introspective movie, typical or your late Yôji Yamada, with sparse use of camera work, long takes, and a focus on characters and their dialogues, instead of on action or fast changes of view points. The story centers on Nobuko, Koji's mother, after the end of the war, and how she tries to come to terms with what has happened in her life. Sayuri Yoshinaga does a great job of imbuing her character with life, making her feel close even if you know little of the history behind her story. Yamada does not center on pain or tears, but on the little things that make us human, and instead of telling us a story of the struggle to eat to live, he tells us the story of the struggle to understand, forgive and adapt to be able to live in an world that has changed completely.

It is a little bit slow, and some moments can be a little bit stretched, but the direction, the acting, the mood and the pace are great, and it is a movie that is worth seeing. It is a movie about humanity.