Yep, times were tough in 11th century Japan. If you were a peasant, that is, or lumped into the same class, as the brother and sister main characters are.
Apart from a few high-quality moments, this film really failed to grab me. Perhaps it was because I'd seen RED BEARD shortly before. There are parallels between these two, and SD comes out a clear second-best. Whereas RB deals with horrid poverty using a broad range of human emotions (including much humour), SD is almost unremittingly depressing.
Yes, I felt for the characters and their plights, but the disjointed nature of the story and sudden changes of fortune made that feeling difficult to maintain. A lot of discussion about people being sold into slavery reminded me, curiously, of Dickens. Again, the comparison isn't favourable.
Probably an important film, and likely to be effective with a Japanese audience. Nevertheless, I cannot recommend rushing to see it.
Apart from a few high-quality moments, this film really failed to grab me. Perhaps it was because I'd seen RED BEARD shortly before. There are parallels between these two, and SD comes out a clear second-best. Whereas RB deals with horrid poverty using a broad range of human emotions (including much humour), SD is almost unremittingly depressing.
Yes, I felt for the characters and their plights, but the disjointed nature of the story and sudden changes of fortune made that feeling difficult to maintain. A lot of discussion about people being sold into slavery reminded me, curiously, of Dickens. Again, the comparison isn't favourable.
Probably an important film, and likely to be effective with a Japanese audience. Nevertheless, I cannot recommend rushing to see it.