Synopsis
Kei KUMAI's A Chain Of Islands imparts the pivotal theme that penetrates his filmography, i.e., an individual's lonely battle with powerful evil, "the system." The film also showcases serious drama-making which has become synonymous with his signature directorial style. An interpreter working for the US army stationed in Japan becomes overwhelmingly interested in various social issues -- actual unsolved cases reported in Japan at the time. He pursues his interest, only to be defeated in the end. His death suggests the dark sentiment shared by the majority of the population in Japan's post-World War II era characterized by sheer confusion and change. Constituting KUMAI's same-themed "trilogy," including The Long Death (1964) and Willful Murder (1981), Chain addresses social irregularities in the chaotic post-1945 Japan. Critically acclaimed and Berlin and Venice Film Festival award-winning KUMAI passed last year, leaving his "socialistic" filmmaking legacy spanning over four decades. (KWON Yong Min)