Kabei: Our Mother

My introduction into Yoji Yamada's cinematic world is through his famed and recent Samurai Trilogy with The Twilight Samurai, The Hidden Blade and Love and Honor. I had enjoyed all three films, and looking at the prolific, veteran director's filmography, I think it'll take me a very long while to watch all his films, especially the Tora-san series. Needless to say when Kabei Our Mother has finally reached our shores, I jumped at the chance to watch what would be an ode to Mothers everywhere, celebrating their innate love for their children.

Based on the autobiography of Teruyo Nogami, Kabei - Our Mother tells of a close knit family of four – Mother Kayo "Kabei" (Sayuri Yoshinaga), Father Shigeru "Tobei" (Mitsugoro Bando), eldest daughter Hatsu (Mirai Shida) and youngest child Teru (Miku Sato). From the get go their lives would be changed forever, when Shigeru gets arrested under the Peace Preservation Law for his morally controversial writings against the nation, set in the late 30s where Japan had begun their "crusade" in China, and thereafter their participation in WWII.

So begins Kabei's struggle to hold down jobs to feed her family, and the frequent, difficult meetings with her husband behind bars. Help comes from relatives, especially on Shigeru's side, since Kabei's own dad had adopted an "I told you so" attitude with her choice of spouse. Shigeru's one time student Yama (arthouse buffs should recognize Tadanobu Asano here) provides laughter as a bumbling man who slowly becomes confidante and surrogate guardian to the children, and Kabei's sister in law Hisako (Rei Dan) from Hiroshima, which I believe would have sounded some hindsight alarm bells as to her unfortunate fate as the film progresses through its timeline.

While the film centers primarily on how the kids are growing up under the presence of their mom, and in a distant relationship with their dad, what I enjoyed is how the microscopic family events unfold under the macroscopic worldwide events that have impacted on the common folk in Japan. It's against the historical backdrop of Japan's push to regional dominance, and there are characters here that don't mask those ambitions, even discussing what the country would eventually do should it be successful in holding onto conquered lands. This is something I rarely see in Japanese films, being that frank in their discussion of that era, and also to get a glimpse of how the common man have to struggle against domestic issues made all the more difficult with resources channeled toward the war effort.

The actresses casted here are pitch perfect in their delivery and roles, be they the veterans or the child actors. Actress Sayuri Yoshinaga deserves special mention for her role as the motherly figure who has to dig deep and find that inner strength to carry the household through under trying circumstances, while Mirai Shida and Miku Sato are lovable as the understanding children who have to learn to make do and compromise. Each scene with the three of them together just makes it heart wrenching when the going gets tough, or fill your heart with Joy should they be celebrating. Before long you'll soon find yourself being attracted to want to be part of this family, thanks to the primary cast's powerful performances, with Yoji Yamada coaxing some really natural performances from the kids.

Kabei - Our Mother boasts some stunningly beautiful art direction, and is classy in its delivery of both happy and sad moments without going over the top, or relying on cheap melodrama to cheapen the emotions it seeks from the audience. There are plenty of little things here done right which makes it pitch perfect, with every scene not being wasted, and with every nuance very meaningful in conveying its message across, be it compassion or love.

Aside from the very abrupt ending (I had hoped that it could have continued for a lot more, despite its more than 2 hours runtime), Kabei Our Mother comes highly recommended, and you'll find it difficult to be holding back either your tears, or that thought about your own mom and her sacrifices she makes for you on an everyday basis. Just what those sacrifices are should you need another reminder, then the scene during the end credits roll will remind you of the stuff that you'd probably have taken for granted.

A Chinese scholar who criticizes harshly the arrogant nationalist, warmongering policies of the ruling clique around the emperor in pre-war Japan, is accused of being a 'communist' and jailed for life. His loving wife, who supports totally her husband and his ideas, is left alone to save her family from starvation. This movie is a huge statue erected in praise of the role of the mother in the history of mankind. Sayuri Yoshinaga is not less than sublime in the title role and it was a monumental scandal that she didn't get an Asian Oscar for the best female role in 2009. It went to a young girl with very limited acting potential.

This deeply moving and most 'human' feature is a must see for all 'true children' on earth.

Actually one particular person/character isn't "right there", but my summary line is referring to the power of the movie. And this is all achieved without any fancy camera moves and/or big production sets, but with a great story and very (believable) and good actors conveying the story (arc).

You could call it a companion piece to great japan movies/cinema (such as Tokyo Story etc.), not so much story-wise of course, but more mood-wise! Great acting, nuances in the performances that are truly gems. If you're eager to experience a touching story and want to see a movie touching you emotionally, than this is the one to go. As you have noticed (as with many of my reviews), I'm not getting into the story. There are places here at IMDb where you can look those up, I'm not one to spoiler the story whatsoever!

I came into this not knowing anything about the movie and as soon as Tobei was arrested, my thinking cap came into play and became instantly wary about what was to come (i.e. very predictable plot about to unfold). Well the plot was close to what I imagined it would be but I can't say enough about the wonderful acting. Especially of Kabei (Sayuri Yoshinaga) and the kids. Even bumbling Ichi the Killer was passable and provided some levity to an otherwise pretty depressing movie. The hot aunt was very easy on the eyes and the old lecher of an uncle was also pretty hilarious. My one complaint was that Sayuri looked a bit old to play the part, she looked more like a grandma but her acting was impeccable. I won't write about the plot since the other reviewers have practically revealed everything but the overall pace was good and the directing not heavy handed. The movie looked a little low-budget at times but I can't fault the movie for that. Must see on Netflix if you're a subscriber. Prepare the tissues since IMO it's impossible to cry if you're a normal human watching this flick.

Yoji Yamada's Kabei — Our Mother begins in the late 1930s after Japan had initiated what later became known as The Second Sino-Japanese War. The film begins with Kayo Nogami's husband, a respected intellectual who teaches at the University, writing an article protesting the war with China. Seeing this as a betrayal, the Japanese government brutally arrests him in front of his family for a "thought crime." Yamada is best known for directing a trilogy of Samurai films, especially The Twilight Samurai, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and won an unprecedented 12 Japanese Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay (written by Yamada). His later films remind me of Akira Kurosawa, not just for their Samurai themes, but for their sensitivity and deep humanity, and Kabei is no exception. Born in 1931, Yamada would have been about the age of the youngest daughter Teryu, who narrates the story as an older woman looking back. After "Tobei" is imprisoned, his wife Kayo, played by the beautiful Sayuri Yoshinaga, struggles to provide for her family, including two daughters aged around six and twelve I would guess. This exquisitely filmed movie follows the mother's heroic efforts, with only a few sympathetic supporters, to survive in a completely hostile environment. Kabei has been called "dark" for the harsh treatment Kayo and her daughters receive, but Yamada's tender depiction of the family and Yoshinaga's astonishing performance lift it from tragedy to triumph. Usually, a younger actor progressively plays an older one, but in this film Yoshinaga, around 65 when she made Kabei, starts out playing a young mother!