While the film was very short but it was definitely good and had a lot of information packed into it. I mean information as in there was so much to talk about in terms of what was happening on screen. But I think it’s good to start this review with a little background.
The film was directed by Rea Tajiri who is a Japanese American film maker who wanted to recall the history of her family when they were sent to internment camps during World War II. I think knowing about how much of a personal stake artists’ put in their works is important in being able to understand the work.
So I guess the film itself could be described as a documentary. But it’s not like any documentary I’ve seen. I think the film was very experimental and the way it portrayed its’ concepts where what I’d say non-traditional. I’m not exactly a film buff as I said in the Ghost in the Shell review but from my viewpoint most of it seemed experimental. Despite its nontraditionalness, I really enjoyed it. I liked that she added in footage from things filmed during the war as well as things that she filmed herself during the 90s. I think there were instances of reenactments such as the mother with the canteen and the sister taking a picture of her crush. Most of the film seemed really grainy and not very polished, but I enjoy that aesthethic (lo-fi hip hop lol).
While I think there are a lot of themes and concepts to discuss I think I really want to focus on this idea of memory. Because in the film, the idea of history and memory become kind of blurred. I mean most people think of history and memory as these solid, static objects that are hard to change. You have a memory of eating a banana for breakfast in the morning and there’s a history of you always eating a banana for breakfast in the morning. So it’s this undisputable fact both memory and history. But in the film memory and history are both shaped constantly. History is omitted and memory is suppressed. Who gets to tell the history of what happened? Why is there this sense of “intentional forgetfulness” when it comes to an entire group’s traumatic experience? I always hear so much about the Holocaust for instance and no one will ever forget those atrocities. So why is this one forgotten about? Jewish people proudly tell their history to their children and children’s children. But why is it that Rea asks her mother what is like in the internment camps she can’t remember much? But why is it when I ask my grandmother about the Spanish and American colonization in the Philippines, she won’t answer me?
These are questions I definitely thought about during the movie and I definitely think it’s worth exploring them as we move on in the class. Also I wouldn’t mind a rewatch!