“忘れない。”
太平洋戦争末期の1944年。特殊訓練を受けていた小野田寛郎に、ある命令が下る。それはフィリピン・ルバング島で援軍部隊が到着するまでゲリラ戦を指揮せよというものだった。出発前に上官の谷口から「君たちには、死ぬ権利はない」と言い渡された小野田は、その言葉を守って終戦後もジャングルで身をひそめていた。やがてそんな彼の存在を知った旅行者の青年が、ルバング島の山奥に赴く。
AIが作品の魅力を深く読み解いています
製作費: $4,700,000 (7億円)
※製作費・興行収入はTMDBのデータを参照しています。収支は(興行収入 - 製作費)で算出したFindKey独自の推定値であり、広告宣伝費や諸経費は含まれません (1ドル=150円換算)。
監督: アルチュール・アラリ
脚本: アルチュール・アラリ / Vincent Poymiro
音楽: Gak Sato / Andrea Poggio
制作: Nicolas Anthomé
撮影監督: Tom Harari
制作会社: Bathysphere Productions / To Be Continued / Ascent Film / Chipangu / Frakas Productions / Pandora Film / Anti-Archive / ARTE France Cinéma / RAI Cinema / Proximus / The Asahi Shimbun / Lotus Production
In anticipation of the Allied landings on the Philippine island of Lubang, the Japanese send a small squad to engage in some guerrilla warfare activities pending the reorganisation of their own troops ready to return in due course. Amongst these men is the young Lt. Hiroo Onoda. He is an idealistic young man who firmly believes in his cause and is determined to do what he can, for as long as he can. Now what we know from the outset is that his nation surrenders in 1945, one year after these troops are deployed - but nobody tells Onoda. With his small squad still patrolling the island, their team begins to fracture. Their discipline to fail. The relentless monsoon rains; disease and the activities of the locals begin to reduce their number but he is adamant that he will stay on duty for as long as it takes - even if that takes us into the 1970s. Both Yûya Endô as the younger man and Kanji Tsuda as the older one play their parts convincingly as the story, based on real facts, illustrates the tough life amidst the dense jungle where they are seemingly abandoned by their own side and left to their own, limited, devices. The story mixes the timelines so we skip from young to older, and that’s quite effective at breaking up the story to avoid it being just a straightforward chronology. It also uses the other characterisations to demonstrate the increasing frustrations of these men as personalities clashed and loyalties, and authority, is tested. As we proceed their’s becomes more of a brotherhood than an army unit, and that makes the tragedies and misfortunes that befall them all the more poignant. It’s history, so there isn’t much latitude as to the denouement, but when we do get there it’s quite a touching conclusion that seems just a bit rushed, but entirely fitting.
