At the start of the new year, I managed to catch a rare screening of the 2002 film Mori no Gakkou (森の学校, literally The Forest School). The movie is based on a book written by Kawai Masao (河合雅雄), and gives a snapshot of a year in the life of an elementary school student living during the early Showa period (specifically, 1935). This movie is rare in that it was only released in theatres back in 2002, and was never released on tape or DVD. Since then, it has been screened every once in a while at different places all over Japan, but never on any large scale.
While this is a 2002 film, it was shot like a Showa period film, giving
viewers a sense of watching something filmed in the 1950s. The movie stars Miura Haruma playing the role of Kawai Masao when he was in elementary school, as he struggled with a poor constitution prone to falling sick while enjoying his love of animals. To young Kawai, the forest is like a school, teaching him things like the value of each and every living thing, the love of his grandmother, and even what it is to fall in love. Miura himself was 11 to 12 years old when he played this role, and he played it so well. A true prodigy actor, even when still a child.
If you ever have the chance, do catch this rare movie. It reminds us of the things around us that we tend of overlook. The movie is recommended by the education, labour, and environmental ministries of Japan for its contents. I think this says a lot about the educational value of the movie. It is a movie that I hope children (those in the upper years of elementary school) will watch, because it is presented in a way that they can understand. The official website (given below) has details about screenings (when they happen). It may be difficult to catch this outside Japan, though.
Trailer (from YouTube)
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