Among four films shown during 15th Japanese film festival, hosted by Consulate General of Japan in Brisbane, I instantly thought this was the film I should watch.
Other three films are major films, and I could probably rent DVDs in Japan if I want, but it would be unlikely to have a chance to watch this documentary film if I missed this chance. That's one reason I chose this film. The other reason is that the film is about recovery of a village from The Great Chuetsu Earthquake in Japan, which naturally made me think about the Great East Japan Earthquake in Japan. I wanted to see how people lived on their lives when The Chuetsu Earthquake happened.
I was moved by people's toughness and positive attitude towards the recovery. This beautiful village, set in a deep mountainous area, still keeps old tradition and customs. People help each other in every occasions and they get toghether at various sacred events. One young guy who lives in the village said "It is like a big family. It's great" I was able to feel the warmth that you wouldn't get in city lives.
This film is highy recommended not just to learn about recovery from the earthquake but to know about Japanese traditional life styles which lost in most parts of Japan.
Official website: 1000年の山古志
Review: Twitch film
