After enjoying a classical concert with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, I headed to "Eurospace."
I managed to buy tickets for the 6 o'clock show and decided to watch "The Fukuda Village Incident."
With some time to spare, I chose to relax at a nearby cafe, sipping on some tea.
The mini-theater may not have the most luxurious seats, but I've grown fond of it.
I'm grateful to have regained enough energy to watch "The Fukuda Village Incident." I believe that if more of the younger generation were to see this film, it would give them much to contemplate.
A century ago, on September 1, 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck, claiming many lives. In the days that followed, a whirlwind of
rumors and misinformation swept across the Kanto region.
In times of crisis, people tend to lose their ability to think rationally. While a select few might assess the situation correctly, the majority
often get swept up in collective hysteria.
The media's role in all this was glaringly absent. The film spotlighted those media outlets that seemed to have forgotten their mission,
becoming mere mouthpieces or tools of those in power.
Discrimination still exists today, but it's easy to imagine that a century ago in Japan, it was primarily directed towards Koreans, the Burakumin, and the Eta-Hinin.
The film did a splendid job portraying these aspects, capturing the details with care. However, if I were to be critical, I'd say it might have
underrepresented the true horrors and the gruesomeness of the reality. Maybe the filmmakers toned it down out of respect for the victims' families?
In that sense, it felt very much like a contemporary film to me.