Kabei - Our Mother

Genre: Drama

Language: Japanese

Director: Yoji Yamada (Love and Honor)

Cast: Sayuri Yoshinaga, Tadanobu Asano, Mitsugoro Bando

Runtime: 100 minutes

Plot:

Set in Tokyo in 1940, the peaceful life of the Nogami Family suddenly changes when the father, Shigeru, is arrested and accused of being a Communist. His wife Kayo works frantically from morning to night to maintain the household and bring up her two daughters with the support of Shigeru's sister Hisako and Shigeru's ex-student Yamazaki, but her husband does not return. WWII breaks out and casts dark shadows on the entire country, but Kayo still tries to keep her cheerful determination, and sustain the family with her love. This is an emotional drama of a mother and an eternal message for peace.

Watched the movie on 9 May late night @ GV Vivo.

Not all "mother" subjected movies are tears jerking. I thought I would be very emotional and be teary-eyed when I stepped out of the theatre but I did not. Although I was sad, but not to the extend of shedding my tears. In fact, I only feel tears filled up my eyes towards the ending part. Or maybe it is only for me?

I was expecting to watch a movie version of "Oshin or A-shin (阿信)", a drama that was very popular back in the 80s. The same backdrop, same theme, a mother going through pain and hardship to upbringing 2 young daughters. However, I was wrong. The movie wasn't made that sad at all.

It's structure took place during the WWII - a history most of us learned when we were young. From our point of view, the Japanese invaded our homeland, caused pain and misery to our ancestors. However, from their point of view, some of the Japanese might not be what we thought they were. To them, war was never a sacred fight, all they wished for was the same as everyone else - peace. Even though their thoughts or speech of freedom couldn't be accepted, they wished their family to be with them instead of fighting the war and not returning home. It was ultimately their loyalty towards the Royal Emperor that the war was inevitable.

The movie title is Our Mother, Kabei pronounced as Ka - bear. And the father is Tobei ( Toe - bear). The 2 girls, Hatsu Bei (Ha - seut- bear) and Teru bei ( Dei - Lu - Bear). They sounded like a bear family. The little touch of bringing the family ties is the whole idea of this movie. Although at the end, Kabei had the greatest regret, but as a mother, the sacrifices she made for her children made her worthwhile.

ah-deng says: 3½ / 5 If Germany would to rule the whole of Europe and Japan, the whole of Asia, what has America left with?