Nikkei Nambei-jin

[Stephen Cremin]

I'll leave the analysis to others but like Okinawa, South America seems 
to be an exotic dream space for Japanese filmmakers.  In Sato Tosuke's 
BANANA SHOOT (1989), the enigmatic Sojiro played by Yui Masayuki 
announces: "I will escape from Japan where people feel choked in houses 
with low ceilings.  I am planning to take a trip to South America where 
there is no ceiling."  In Hani Susumu's BRIDE OF THE ANDES (1966), Ueda 
Tamiko played by Hidari Sachiko heads for Peru to assert herself ... in 
the eyes of her husband.  Nakajima Kiichi, played by Mifune Toshiro 
plans to move his family to Brazil to escape the nuclear threat in 
Kurosawa Akira's RECORD OF A LIVING BEING (1955).  Hayakawa Kyoko played 
by Abe Satoko in Yamaguchi Takayoshi's BREAKABLE (1994) dreams of an 
extensive trip to Brazil.  Uemura Naomi, the subject of biopic of the 
mountaineer in Sato Junya's LOST IN THE WILDERNESS (1986) scales El 
Plata and Aconcagua.  Harada Masato's KAMIKAZE TAXI has a protagonist 
who is a Japanese taxi driver from Peru, Kantake Kazumasa played by 
Yakusho Koji.  Miike Takashi's CITY OF LOST SOULS stars TEAH as its 
half-Brazilian lead Mario.  Tashiro Hirotaka's SWIMMING WITH TEARS 
focuses on a Filipino in Japan but does employ Peruvian folk-song music 
in its score.  Finally, don't forget that Sonoda Akiko played by Oda 
Akane in Suzuki Junichi's REMEMBERING THE COSMOS FLOWER (1997) catches 
the HIV virus from a blood transfusion on a family vocation in South 
America...

Stephen



On Wednesday, June 5, 2002, at 09:12 AM, Khash Najib wrote:

>
> Hello,
> I wonder if anyone on the list knows of any films, fiction
> or documentary, that deal with the issue of Brazilians or
> other Latin Americans from Japanese origins. Anything
> would be helpful, whether it covers Japanese migration to
> South America, Nikkei history and communities over there,
> Nikkei returnees to Japan and their legal and ethnic
> status, or any other related topic.
> Thanks,
> Najib El-Khash
>
>
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