ひかりのおと
(Hikari no oto)
Released: 2011
Director: Juichiro Yamasaki
Starring:
Yoshitomo Fujihisa
Toyoyuki Sato
Yoshiko Nakamoto
Eri Mori
Running time: 89 min.
Reviewed by Marc Saint-Cyr
“The Sound of Light” is a film
entirely set in one of the tougher corners of the world; a place where hard
work is a minimum requirement for making a living – and not even that can
guarantee prosperity or even survival. Yoshitomo Fujihisa plays the main
character Yusuke, a young man who, three years prior to the events of the film,
moved back to his family’s farm in the mountain town of Maniwa in Okayama
Prefecture from Tokyo after his father (Toyoyuki Sato) badly injured his foot.
This move put Yusuke’s ambitions of pursuing a musical career on indefinite
hold – a necessary sacrifice so he could lend a much-needed hand in the many
physically demanding tasks dutifully upheld by his father and grandmother
(Junko Sato) over the years. A small dairy farm fighting off debt, the business
requires the constant feeding and milking of its cows, among other chores.
Here, routine and dedication are the defining factors of daily life, bringing a
regular flow of early mornings and toil.
The
events of “The Sound of Light” are overshadowed by a past event described in an
opening title card: three years ago, a dairy farmer named Natsuo Asano was
killed in a car accident that spared his wife Yoko (Eri Mori) and son Ryota.
These characters are tied to Yusuke’s family in various ways: Natsuo was best
friends with Yoshiyuki (Takeshi Masago), Yusuke’s uncle, and the two men worked
hard together to establish their own dairy farm. But in the wake of Natsuo’s
death, Yoshiyuki’s life and business collapsed into ruin to the point that he
now bears the reputation of a madman. Also, Yusuke is in love with Yoko and
hopes to marry her – a plan complicated by Ryota being the only remaining male
in the Asano family. If Yusuke and Yoko were to get married, the boy would have
to go live with his grandmother on Natsuo’s side so as to continue the Asano
family name, thus presenting Yoko with a difficult decision – and indicating
another way how family responsibilities shape the characters’ lives.
One
of the clear strengths of “The Sound of Light” is the total immersion into
small-town farming life it gives. The impressive Chugoku mountains surround the
town’s scattered farms, businesses and homes, emphasizing the rural isolation
in which the characters eke out a living. Work maintains a strong grip on daily
life: whether tending to vegetable patches, preparing meals or, most often,
tending to the cows, Yusuke and his family – including his sister Haruko
(Yoshiko Nakamoto) and her boyfriend Takashi (Soichiro Tsuji) who visit and
lend a hand in the various chores – constantly see to the tall order of
responsibilities that need to be met. Writer and director Juichiro Yamasaki,
himself a Maniwa farmer, admirably approaches such actions with a still,
observant eye that ably captures the quiet dedication of the farmers. The
viewer is made quite aware of the tolls such a lifestyle demands – especially
through Yoshiyuki, who is publicly regarded as a failure and a cautionary tale.
Having driven away his wife, he burns down his barn, gives in to drinking and
attempts suicide. His misfortunes show that it takes more than hard work to
survive in farming; that loyal friends and family serve as irreplaceable
supports for perseverance. But even then, the farmers are at the mercy of
forces beyond their control. In one integral dialogue scene, Yoshiyuki explains
to Yusuke how he and Natsuo had to contend with a sudden rise in feed costs
and, more importantly, people’s indifference to local businesses in favor of
convenience. “The harder you work, the less you get,” he says, underlining the
dire consequences of the growth of world markets at the cost of the farmers’
hard-won labors. This bitter truth is not dwelled upon for too long, but its
weight is certainly not lost on the viewer.
Impressively,
Yamasaki maintains an even balance between depicting the real-life textures and
issues of the farming community and the more narrative-dependent strand of the
film dedicated to Yusuke’s personal situation. Visiting a graveyard of
amplifiers in the woods and uncovering a hidden guitar and the organ his mother
gave to him before leaving the family (alluding to a rift between her and
Yusuke’s more farming-oriented father), he still clearly holds onto his love
for making music. His father even offers to give him a saved bundle of one
million yen to help re-ignite the distant dream of returning to Tokyo. Yet Yusuke
remains bound to the important sense of duty that has kept him at the farm. As
a son and the heir to the farm, the weight of expectation lies heavily upon his
shoulders, even if his family grants him the permission necessary to break
away.
“The
Sound of Light” gives an even and honest portrayal of farming life, neither
exaggerating the great endurance it requires nor holding it up as a utopian
alternative to the light and bustle of Tokyo, which has never felt so distant
in a Japanese film as it does here. But occasionally, Yamasaki allows for
moments of hope and beauty: the night scene in which an actual calf is born,
Yusuke’s song to his mother quietly performed in a cold barn, the annual climb
up a nearby mountain on the morning of New Year’s Day to see the first sunlight
of the year. Such scenes make Yusuke’s journey seem worth the challenges it has
brought him, confirming that the sacrifices he made were willingly and, at
times, perhaps even gladly chosen.
A familiar sight in public is an individual with windows 7 professional retail version an iPad in hand, or one getting utilized using a keyboard case. Exactly where it utilised to become more prevalent to determine windows 7 professional product key individuals using Windows laptops of varying sizes in public venues numerous of them happen to be replaced with the iPad.
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article.
ReplyDeletekids games
friv
unblocked games 77
juego de un show mas
شركة مكافحة حشرات بالجبيل
ReplyDeleteشركة عزل خزانات بالدمام
شركة عزل خزانات بالخبر
شركة عزل خزانات بالظهران
Kaliteli Kartal escort bayan ilan sitemizde çıtır kızların birbirinden güzel Maltepe escort ve Pendik escort ilanlarını escort alanya ta bulabilirsiniz.
ReplyDeleteİstanbul escort bayanlar ile gününüzü mükemmel bir hale getire bilirsiniz.
ReplyDeleteİstanbul escort bayan kızlar sizlerin de daima birlikte olmak isteyeceği mükemmel bayanlardır. Her anlam da kendilerini geliştiren, bakıma önem veren ve partnerlerine ayırdıkları zaman içerisin de her derdi unutturabilecek bayanlardır. Eğer sizler de hayatınıza renk katmak ve farklı heyecanlar yaşamak istiyor iseniz bu bayanlar ile iletişime geçerek dilediğiniz gibi bir gün yaşaya bilirsiniz. Bu bayanlar ile birlikte olduğunuz ilk andan itibaren sevgilinin çok daha ötesinde birliktelik yaşadığınızı hissede bilirsiniz. Sitemize üye olan bayanlarımız kaliteye ve bayan değerlerine önem veren beyler ile tanışmak istiyor. Fakat bazı beyler karşısında ki bayan hitap etmesini bilmediği için bu durum bazen zor olabiliyor.
Eğer sizler kendinize güveniyor ve bayan değerlerine önem veriyor iseniz sitemiz de üyeliği bulunan escort bayanlar ile birlikte olabilir ve daima birlikte kalabilirsiniz. Siz beyler gibi bu bayanlar da farklı ortamlar ve yeni insanlar tanıyarak hayatlarına devam etmek isterler. Fakat güven çok önemlidir. Eğer bu güveni onlara kazandıra bilirsiniz. Artık istediğiniz süre içerisin de bu bayanlar ile birlikte olmak ihtimaliniz var demektir. Onlar ile escort bayanarkadaş yada sevgili olabilirsiniz. Her şey sizin onlara olan yaklaşımına bağlıdır. Eğer sizler de sohbet etmeyi seviyor ve özgürce bir hayat dilimi içerisindeyseniz hiç zaman kaybetmeden mutlaka bu bayanlar ile tanışmalısınız.
Bu escort bayanlar ile birlikte olarak çılgınlar gibi eğlenebilir ve tüm sıkıntılarınızı unuta bilirsiniz. Daima pozitif olduklarından istanbul escort dolayı sizlerin de onlar ile birlikte olduğu zaman içerisin de ilgi ve alakaları sayesin de çok mutlu olacağınız dan eminim. Ayrıca çok geniş çevreye sahip olduklarından dolayı bir çok arkadaşları ile de tanışabilirsiniz. Toplu olarak onlar ile eğlencelere gidebilir ve hayattan fazlası ile keyif almaya başlaya bilirsiniz. Çılgın yaşam tarzları ve güler yüzleri sayesin de onlar ile birlikte her türlü eğlenceyi hissedeceğinize eminim. Fakat dediğim gibi onlara olan yaklaşımınız çok önemlidir. Eğer sizlere güvenmezler ise onlar ile birlikte hiç bir şey yapamazsınız.
avg.com/retail is the URL that you have to reach in order, to begin with, any avg item. Innovation is propelling step by step and the progression of innovation made individuals progressively reliant on it. Using innovation is all fine yet it additionally has a clouded side. Generally, individuals convey their information and ordinary work on PC. There are high possibilities that your information and work can control by unapproved exercises like malevolent records entering in the Desktop, PC, and Smartphone by means of malware, rootkit, spyware, and Trojan horses.
ReplyDeleteYouTube is using several people today and worldwide billions of users on YouTube. There you can watch amazing content, music, or the latest videos. If you want to connect YouTube on your gadget during this time you facing any type of error so you don't take tension. Few steps to resolve issues visit our website youtube.com/activate follow the instructions or enjoying videos. But if you do not do these steps, you contact us our toll-free and there our expert team fix your issues immediately furthermore provides the finest solution.
ReplyDeleteRead more…
Notwithstanding, you additionally need the Amazon Prime video login to see the actuation code which you will enter on the Primevideo.com/myTV online interface. com primevideo mytv link. For more info visit given link.
ReplyDeletebuy online bacon Delhi
ReplyDeletemeat home delivery Delhi
having trouble with printers? Connect witH printer Support Number for help
ReplyDeleteAwesome blow. you should check out mine as well Antivirus Support
ReplyDeleteActivate www.primevideo.com/mytv activate by giving the activation link primevideo.mytv enter code in your tv and enjoy amazon popular shows such as movies & web series.Visit given link primevideo mytv enter code.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing a great piece of information. I visited your website and I really like your website and post also. Keep it up and keep sharing such posts.
ReplyDeleteStudents travel all over the globe to pursue their higher education and they have to do a job to survive which results in getting less time for their studies and crafting assignments. Therefore, they seek online assignment help. So, if you face any challenges, then you can take assignment australia help from the expert who works round the clock and deliver quality content within the allotted time.
Many different subjects where students mostly seek online assignment help are chcece001 assessment answers Help, Management Assignment Help, Law Assignment Help, etc.
Suppose you need to know how and what to do with short training with others.
ReplyDelete스포츠토토
안전놀이터
우리카지노탑
카지노사이트
3D floor plans for real estate is a great way for buyers and sellers to get a better understanding of the property. With 3D floor plans, buyers can get a better idea of the size of the room, how the layout looks, where the windows and doors are, and other features of the property. 3D floor plan company also allows sellers to accurately market their property in an appealing way to potential buyers. This technology offers a unique visual way to explore homes, which helps people make informed decisions about their real estate purchases. Real Estate Marketing Company
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this informative blog with us. Your blog is very useful for us. Are you a management student in Australia looking for expert assistance with your assignments? Look no further! Our Management Assignment Help service in Australia is here to provide you with comprehensive support and guidance for your academic success. Our team of experienced and dedicated professionals understands the challenges that management students face in their academic journey. Whether you are grappling with complex concepts, struggling with time management, or seeking to enhance your grades, we are here to assist you at every step of the way.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete