正在同步电影信息
AsomberretrospectiveonthefinaldaysoftheSakura-taitheatricaltroupethathadarrivedintheislandofHiroshimatobeginpreparationsforthestagingofaplayand,at8:15onthemorningofAugust6,1945,becamevictimsoftheatomicbombing,Sakura-taiChiruisathoughtfulexaminationofartisticimperativeinatimeofuncertaintyandnationalcrisis.Usingthe1987commemorativeceremonyinHiroshimaandthededicationofamemorialtoSakurai-taiatGohyaku-RakanjiTempleasaspringboardtothere-examinethelifeandcareersoftheactors(andinparticular,thetroupe'sdirector,renownedfilmandtheateractorSadaoMaruyamawhohadappearedinsuchnotablefilmsasMikioNaruse'sWife!BeLikeaRose!),thefilmiscomposedofaseriesofinterviewswithfriends,family,andcolleagues(amongthem,NobukoOtawa,EitaroOzawa,HarukoSugimura,andOsamuTakizawa)andre-enactmentsoftheremainingsurvivors'tragicfate(fouractorshadsurvivedtheimmediatebombing-Maruyama,KeikoSonoi,ShozoTakayama,andMidoriNaka-onlytoinevitablysuccumbtodeathdayslater).ThefilmtracestheevolutionofthetheatricaltroupewithinthecontextofJapanesehistory,fromitsearlypermutationasagovernment-mandatedpropagandatoolinthe1930s,toestablishedactor,Maruyama'screativedirectorshipofthesplinterorganization,totheGreatTokyoAirRaidofMarch10,1945thatcausedseveral(predominantlymale)actorstotakeindeterminateleavesofabsencefromthetroupeinordertohelptheirfamilies(andcity)rebuild,tothetroupe'sdecisiontosendouttwoofthefourremainingmaleactorsinordertoscoutforreplacementactorsfortheirAugustHiroshimaengagement.Theseseeminglymundaneoperationaldecisions-tocontinuewiththeperformancedespitepersonalhardshipandwartimeuncertainty-wouldinevitablyleadtothefateofSakura-taiinlightofthetragiccontextofworldhistory.Tracingthefatesofthefoursurvivorsastheysoughtthesafetyoffamilyandfriendsaftertheatomicbombingonlytoendurelingering,agonizingdeathsfromincurableradiationpoisoning,whatemergesfromthefilm'sharrowinganddeeplypersonalaccountisasenseofexploitedandtrivializedhumanityinthefaceofmilitaryaggressionandinhumanpolitics.
