The Twilight Samurai

たそがれ清兵衛 Yoji Yamada, (2002)

A few years ago, a Japanese friend of mine recommended a film to me. It was Yoji Yamada’s The Hidden Blade (2004). It was a while ago, but I remember it being very slow moving and it didn’t really leave a very strong impression on me, either negatively or positively. However, I recently watched Yamada’s previous film The Twilight Samurai from 2002, which has sparked a desire to revisit The Hidden Blade, for the sole reason that The Twilight Samurai was the most amazing, most beautiful movie I have seen in a long time.

Based on a novel by Shohei Fujisawa, the story is very much a revisionist Samurai film. Set only a few years before the Meiji Restoration, Japan’s era of rapid modernisation, the glory days of the Samurai are nothing but a fading memory, with many of the characters referred to as samurai in name only, basically working desk jobs as their skills with the sword, unneeded, are gradually forgotten. Among them is Iguchi Seibei (Hiroyuki Sanada), a recently bereaved widower who must look after his two young daughters and his senile mother on a pitifully low wage. His devotion to his family results in his nickname “Tasogare” (Twilight) as he returns home to his family immediately after work, never joining his co-workers for socialising or drinks.

The era of the late 1700s conveys just as much twilight as Seibei. The atmosphere is rich and dimly lit, like a fine oil painting come to life, small indoor fires seem to serve as the sole light source in a number of scenes. The colours of the countryside; the winter snow, the green grass, is enough to make your eyes water. Yet Yamada creates an environment that is not solely visual, a feeling of peace and utmost calm pervades the film, while we are gently reminded of the film’s historical context through the arrival of guns as the new weapon of choice, the impending change of government and more chillingly, widespread sickness culminating in the dead bodies of children casually discovered in rivers. Seibei continues to earn his living and care for his family throughout this era’s final days, displaying a remarkable foresight as he guides his daughters into a new uncertain era as best he can. It is with a heavy heart that his life as a warrior catches up with him when his skills as a swordsman are required by his clan, and duty compels him to act. 

The question of Seibei’s remarriage also forms a major part of the story, as a childhood friend re-enters his life. Interwoven perfectly into the film, some of the its most moving scenes revolve around Tomoe, played by the beautiful Rie Miyazawa, who takes it upon herself to help look after Seibei’s family, following a divorce from an abusive husband. These domestic scenes of food preparation, calligraphy and cleaning could easily slip into dreadfully mundane territory, but the actors bring a palpable sense of reality to the film’s many quiet scenes and moreover, the entirety of its exceedingly simple story. While this film is centred on a central Samurai character, one should not expect bloody, sword fighting action. The film contains a grand total of three swordfights- actually its more like two and a half. The bouts are tightly choreographed, the first of which only lasts a few minutes, but their rarity and balletic beauty makes them truly exciting. Yet this revisionist look at the samurai genre, focusing more on the domestic life of a dying warrior class is never boring. Yamada has created a moving drama so beautiful it could challenge anything Yasujiro Ozu ever did. Coupled with this masterful direction and gorgeous visuals, Isao Tomita’s score also deserves mention, the soundtrack uses a strange mix of synthesisers and traditional Japanese instruments, with powerful percussion and haunting melodies enough to make your ears weep.

The film does an amazing job at never slipping into melodrama, I only had a few problems with some aspects of the ending, particularly the closing theme song which I think should have been left out. Also, Seibei’s youngest daughter narrates the story as a much older woman, I found myself wondering how necessary this was. All in all, this is an amazing film. I can’t remember the last time I saw a drama film that enveloped me so, and it is so refreshing to see one handled so masterfully and never goes for cheap drama clichés. It won a huge number of Japan Academy Awards including best film, director, actor, actress AND screenplay! Wow. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for best foreign picture (or as I like to call it; the “Rest of world” section) but did not win, which is a shame because The Twilight Samurai is an absolute work of art.