Letters From IwoJima. My second movie about war, after Brotherhood. There's something about this type of film, something those blockbusters don't have. Something about IwoJima which Superman lacked. Yes, history. That's it. History.
Precisely because there's a historical background to films like IwoJima, they are able to connect to us. To us, people from the countries involved in that historical event, directly or indirectly. And even to people who have absolutely nothing to do with the war depicted, war is still something that's close to our hearts. Especially since September 11 and war in Iraq.
Since young I've been under the impression that the Japanese were despicable beings who conquered countries by force and tyranny. That's because stories of Japanese's inhumane and unfairly treatment towards the Chinese were told, as lunch-time chat topics between my grandma and I. Grandma survived through the Japanese Occupation 1941 to 1945, and no doubt she has seen the most cruel of treatments from the Japs. Japanese Occupation left an uneraseable scar on those who survived, and for generations, stories are told.
Then I went to school, where the process of the Occupation was illustrated in black and white during History lessons. It further confirmed my foul impression of the Japs. Yet, I don't hate them. Perhaps because I did not witness with my own eyes, the kind of crime they committed. But History lessons provided another space for us to explore - a venture into the war from different people's perspectives, and not just the war itself.
And now, this is the war fought between Americans and the Japs. It's told from a Jap soldier's point of view. But to make it more interesting, the director is an American.
Though there are many out there who beg to differ, I still think it's a film worth watching.
Educational, I would say.
