Letters from Iwo Jima

Letters from Iwo Jima (Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya) — You never saw the story of the Alamo told from the Mexican side or the massacre at Big Horn from the Native American point of view so Clint Eastwood changes it all by telling the story of the Japanese soldiers preparing for and then fighting the Americans on Iwo Jima.  Shot almost simultaneously with Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers, this black-and-while film is better. Sure, it’s bloody and painful, but it’s also a human tale of fear, nationalism, obedience, stubbornness, and hopelessness.  Led by the brilliant General Kuribayashi (Watanabe), the outnumbered Japanese build elaborate tunnels to try to overcome the massive forces of the U.S. or at least delay the inevitable.  The story is told through his eyes and those of a young soldier (Ninomiya), who is boyish, scared, and lucky. The soldier and his commander both write to their wives regularly with increasing despair and sentimentality.  Watanabe (Memories of a Geisha) is exceptional as the man trained and honored in the U.S. who returns home and gets assigned to lead the futile effort to stop the Americans in the march to Tokyo on a deserted island far away.  The Oscar worthiness of the film derives from its director’s willingness to take a creative risk, complete with sub-titles and unknown actors.  Of the nominees for Best Picture, this is the most original even if the ending is pre-ordained.  If you haven’t had your fill of World War II stories, you will appreciate this small story set in epic proportions.