Seara de film japonez - Sambata, 23 iunie

In data de 23 iunie, Cercul „Prietenii Japoniei” a organizat cea de a doua intalnire a lunii, fiind o intalnire in care am putut sa descoperim natura japoneza, atitudinea japonezilor fata de aceasta si cateva aspecte ale vietii rurale din Japonia, prin intermediul unei proiectii de film japonez, numit „Amida-do Dayori”, in engleza „Letter from the Mountain”.

La inceputul intalnirii am avut un moment de prezentari, in care, pe langa numele si interesele participantilor, am putut afla si animalul preferat al fiecaruia. A fost un moment interesant, care ne-a ajutat sa ne cunoastem altfel, oarecum indirect, prin aceasta reflexie a personalitatii fiecaruia in animalul preferat.

Dupa momentul introductiv am inceput vizionarea filmului. Filmul descrie o perioada de aproximativ un an, din viata unui cuplu casatorit, Takao si Michiko Ueda, in jurul varstei de 45 de ani, cuplu care alege sa renunte la viata alerta de la oras si sa se retraga intr-o zona mai linistita, la sat. Acolo experimenteaza o noua viata, in comuniune cu natura, intalnesc oameni de la sat, batrani, care traiesc acolo poate de cand se stiu. Experienta este una benefica pentru cuplu, Michiko, doctorita de meserie, vindecandu-se de o boala provocata de stresul de la oras.

Pe parcursul povestii intervine si un caz medical pe care dna Michiko reuseste sa il rezolve. O tanara din sat, Sayuri, care obisnuia sa publice articole pe care le numea „Scrisori de pe Munte”, constand in cuvintele spuse de batrana satului in varsta de 96 de ani, dna Ume, are o tumora la gat pe care dna Michiko incearca sa o vindece. Aceasta reuseste in cele din urma, iar in finalul filmului, toti patru se reintalnesc la casa batranei, cuplul alegand sa duca in continuare o viata linistita acolo si sa devina si ei stramosi.

              Filmul a fost atat unul linistitor pentru public, cat si plin de invataturi, dar si de elemente de cultura japoneza. In film au fost prezente cateva dansuri rituale japoneze shinto, festivalul Obon, cand stramosii se crede ca revin printre oameni pentru cateva zile, lucru sarbatorit de catre japonezi, care isi respecta stramosii. De asemenea cuplul japonez era unul atipic, asa cum am aflat mai detaliat dupa incheierea filmului, in general barbatul fiind cel sustinut moral de catre femeie, nu invers. In schimb, in film, barbatul era un scriitor, care isi sustinea sotia din punct de vedere moral, sotie care era doctor, o meserie mult mai pretentioasa. Cu toate acestea ei se iubesc foarte mult si pot reprezenta un model pentru societate.

              S-a discutat mult pe baza filmului, iar la finalul intalnirii cu totii ne-am intors la casele noastre cu dorinta de a ne apropia mai mult de natura, si cu multe cunostinte noi despre cultura japoneza.

***********English Version bellow:**************

On 23^rd of June, Japan’s Friends Club organized the second meeting of the month. In this meeting we discovered the Japanese nature, the Japanese’s attitude towards nature and some aspects of the rural life in Japan, by means of the movie “Amida-do Dayori” or “Letter from the Mountain”, in English.

At the start of the meeting we had a moment of introduction, when, besides introducing ourselves, we could also find out the favourite animal of each of us. It was an interesting moment and that way we could also get to know each other better, through the reflection of our own personality in our favourite animal.

After the introductory moment, we started watching the movie. It was a movie describing a period of about one year in the life of a married couple, Takao and Michiko Ueda, which were about 45 years old. The couple decides to give up the busy life in the city and retreat to a more peaceful area, in the countryside. There, they have the experience of a new life, in the nature, meeting people who perhaps lived there forever. The experience was good for the couple, Michiko, who was a doctor, even getting cured of a condition caused by the stress she had been going through in the city.

During the story a medical case also comes up, which Ms. Michiko manages to solve. A young girl in the village, Sayuri, who used to publish articles which she called “Letter from the Mountain”, which were the words spoken by Mrs. Ume, the village’s oldest woman, 96 years old, has a tumour in her throat, which Ms. Michiko tries to cure. She succeeds in the end, everyone meeting up at the old woman’s house at the end of the movie. The couple chooses to continue living a peaceful life there and become ancestors themselves.

The movie was both relaxing and full of wisdom for the public, the action happening in a Japanese characteristic setting. In the movie, there were some ritual Shinto Japanese dances, the Obon Festival, when it is thought that the ancestors return among the living for a few days, which is celebrated, as Japanese always respected their ancestors. Also, the Japanese couple was uncommon, as we found out at the end of the movie. Generally, the man is the one who gets moral support from the wife. In this case, the man is a writer, who morally sustained his wife, who was a respected doctor. However, they love each other very much, representing a model for the society.

We kept discussing a lot about the movie, and at the of the meeting we all returned home with the wish to get closer to the nature and with a lot more knowledge about Japanese culture.