Glimpsing a Wonderful World: On the Film 'Under the Open Sky'

I usually write about educational theories inspired by movies, but today I would like to step away from education for a bit.
The movie 'Under the Open Sky' is currently in theaters. Some of you may have already seen it. The director of this film is Miwa Nishikawa. I really love her movies. My love for this one overflowed, and I found myself writing a film review that feels like a love letter. There are no spoilers, so please feel free to read it before or after you see the movie!

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Even before watching 'Under the Open Sky,' I couldn't shake a thought that had been stuck in my head. It was about the existence of Shohei Imamura's film 'The Eel.' I remember going to see 'The Eel' with great excitement because it was released right after it won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Of course, the Imamura film was a masterpiece, and I was deeply moved. At the same time, it immediately clicked for me.
'This is the 'Identity Record' (Mibuncho) story!'
As it turned out, my intuition was mistaken. The original source for 'The Eel' was actually Akira Yoshimura's 'Release' (Kashakuho). Upon learning that, I hurriedly read Yoshimura's 'Release.' However, the protagonist Yamashita, created by director Shohei Imamura, had much of the eerie, creature-like quality written by Yoshimura removed, and I became convinced that it was significantly influenced by Ryuzo Saki's 'Identity Record.' And so, my hope grew that someday someone would adapt 'Identity Record' into a film again.

Since the shock I received from 'Sway,' I have firmly believed that Miwa Nishikawa is the most important figure in Japanese cinema. I look forward to every one of her works, but I never expected an adaptation of 'Identity Record.' And even more surprisingly, it stars Koji Yakusho. If it had been a long-held dream for Director Nishikawa to make a film with Koji Yakusho in the lead, I feel a sense of closeness to the thoughts I have held for so long. For me, the fact that Miwa Nishikawa directed 'Identity Record' and Koji Yakusho played Hajime Yamakawa (Masao Mikami in the film) far exceeds my expectations.
In every one of her films, Director Miwa Nishikawa pours meticulous human observation into her character settings without reservation. If you watch the every move of the characters on screen, their lives emerge eloquently. Even though almost no explicit explanation is given, you understand them as if you had been watching them for decades. In 'Under the Open Sky,' the protagonist Mikami's life is explained through his identity record, but the burdens carried by each member of the community surrounding Mikami, an ex-convict, become vaguely apparent as you watch. And it naturally conveys why they can stand by him instead of fighting him, even when faced with a murderer. She doesn't make them talk about their lives, nor does anyone else talk about them. Much less is there any explanation of their changes in state of mind. I believe this is Director Miwa Nishikawa's skill and the biggest highlight of the film.

Neither Yamashita in 'The Eel' nor Mikami in 'Under the Open Sky' feel remorse for the crimes they committed. They are simply living their own lives calmly. I believe that for both Shohei Imamura and Miwa Nishikawa—or rather, Akira Yoshimura and Ryuzo Saki—a simple question about remorse was the starting point for their creation. The deception of atoning for a crime is one of the many limitations inherent in the law. Rather than looking at the limitations of the law, modern states seem to practice legalism as if to pretend they don't exist. In modern society, this trend is increasing, and the stance of condemning those who deviate from the law is strong.
Mikami is a person with low self-restraint and high violence. That personality kept causing crimes. On the screen, there is a Koji Yakusho with enough intensity to threaten the viewer. It seems to form the polar opposite of the repressive and paranoid Koji Yakusho of 'The Eel.' However, 'The Eel' shows us a gruesome murder scene at the beginning. We follow Yamashita's life thereafter while continuing to feel the smell of that blood. The violent 'yang' and 'yin'—these two Koji Yakushos are also highly complementary.
Although they may look different on the surface, we humans all possess a primitive barbarism. Showing that realistically through the screen is, I think, a valuable warning to people who overestimate themselves by thinking, 'I would never kill anyone.' There are countless instances of murder involving individuals unintentionally, without the use of kitchen knives or Japanese swords.

The world outside the walls as seen by a man for whom the isolated world of prison has become the norm. The world we live in, seen from his perspective, feels extremely suffocating. Even though he has been set free, for some reason, it feels cramped.
I haven't done anything wrong myself, so what is this suffocating feeling?
Director Nishikawa is relentless. She is piercing the conscience of us viewers. She peers under the masks of us who pretend to be good people. It feels as if the many mistakes we have made in life have been seen through. And when we feel that unbearable discomfort, we are made aware of the figures of people crossing paths on the screen. We, too, want to cling to the thin thread that the adrift Mikami is relying on.
I sigh at such imperfect people and an imperfect world. Even so, there is an irrepressible compassion in this film for the people living in this world. When we accept that compassion, we ourselves come to realize the wonder of this world.

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