Everyone involved in the trial was a loser (After watching the movie "Winny")

Programmer Isamu Kaneko, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court.

At the time of the incident, I was anxious about the issues surrounding "Napster." So, I didn't really keep track of the "Winny" case. Films based on historical facts possess a persuasiveness distinct from novels or non-fiction.

*

However, when discussing such films, the criticism that "aren't you just praising one side?" is inevitable.

I myself, while feeling angry at the faults of the police and prosecution, also felt doubtful about whether it was right to treat them as a "voiceless party."

This doubt is addressed thoroughly by Masahiro Higashide in the official pamphlet for the movie "Winny."

That was exactly the sense of discomfort I felt after watching the movie "Winny." It seems Higashide himself was aware of and understood this while acting.

There are no winners.

This is what the staff and cast intended with this work. Seeing the vivid words "everyone is a loser," I found myself calmly convinced.

When various problems occur, I want to make someone take responsibility, but who is the villain in the Winny case? Perhaps the responsibility actually lies with "us" for not truly protecting Mr. Kaneko. It might have been "us" who were swayed by media rumors and didn't raise our voices that drove Mr. Kaneko into a corner. (At the very least, it is a fact that I didn't speak up to say it was "wrong" when Mr. Kaneko was arrested. It is too late to realize that painfully now, only after losing him.)

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What was lacking in the story was that the image of Mr. Kaneko during the development of Winny was hardly shown. There was talk through the trial about "I made Winny with the thought of...", but that must have been an afterthought.

I would have liked to see a bit more of a lighthearted vibe, or his true feelings like "I just simply wanted the internet community to be happy," and the enthusiasm during development.

In any case, in this heyday of technology, there is no reason not to watch it. Especially those working in the internet industry should watch it. There must be many people who are able to make a living because of the hardships of predecessors like Mr. Kaneko.

When driven into a state like Mr. Kaneko's, can you fight while being prepared to be a loser? I think that question should always be kept in the back of one's mind.

──

The director of this film is Yusaku Matsumoto. He is a young film director born in 1992, and I had also watched his previous work, "All My Fault."

Honestly, the previous work left me feeling helplessly unsatisfied.

After watching "Winny," I was moved by Director Matsumoto's sincerity. This is likely because, as noted in the pamphlet, it was filmed faithfully to historical facts (such as testimonies from those who cooperated in the production and court records). While I felt that aspect was perhaps featured a bit too heavily, that is what "filmmaking" means to Director Matsumoto.

I was left with the impression that he is a sincere person.

Conversely, it remains to be seen whether he has the ability to "entertainingly" direct fiction, which requires a certain degree of dramatization. Even so, I have decided to look forward to future works by Matsumoto. That is how much seriousness is packed into "Winny."

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