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- Bachiranun
ばちらぬん Bachiranun
- 2021 / Documentary, Drama / 61min G
- Available Worldwide (except Japan)
- English, Spanish (Latin America), Indonesian, Thai, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
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Synopsis
A docu-fiction film that intoxicates viewers with the vibrant beauty of Yonaguni Island life.
Director Profile
HIGASHIMORI Aika
- CAST
- HIGASHIMORI Aika, ISHIDA Kenta
- DIRECTOR
- HIGASHIMORI Aika
- SCREENPLAY
- HIGASHIMORI Aika
- INTERNATIONAL SALES
- HIGASHIMORI Aika
- Haochen Xu
This film was recommended by Mr. Haochen Xu through the JFF+ special feature article titled “Seven Members of the Global Film Industry Discuss Their Recent Japanese Independent Film Picks”. The article features 7 experts, including film critics and festival programmers, who are internationally active and well-versed in Japanese cinema. Each of these specialists introduces their recommended independent films from Japan. How do Japanese independent films, with their artistic and experimental qualities evident in works like “Bachiranun” resonate with the world? Find out by reading it.
- HIGASHIMORI Aika
- Director
The Yonaguni language is a UNESCO endangered language. This film was my university graduation project, and initially, the plan was to shoot a full-length feature film on location on Yonaguni Island. However, filming began in the first year when the pandemic hit, and most of the shooting plans fell apart. Born in the midst of such uncertain circumstances, “Bachiranun” is a blend of documentary and fiction techniques. The entire cast doubled as crew members, and we shot under extremely tight conditions. The landscapes, lifestyles, and language of my hometown, Yonaguni Island, changing and fading away, gave rise to the urgency behind “Bachiranun”, a film that only I -in my current state- could create. I never expected that this film, like my own guts that I filmed with desperation, could become someone else’s guts. It’s an asymmetrical, clumsy, and straightforward film. I won’t say “Bachinnayo” (“Please don’t forget”). But I hope that my “Bachiranun” (“I never forget”) can reach you even a little. From the smallest island in the far west of Japan to you.
Comments
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A beautiful film. Thank you!
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Really unique and interesting movie. It really makes me want to visit this place and immerse in the culture there. Thank you.
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I really enjoyed watching this movie/documentary. It was very precious to learn about the island’s culture and its people. Thank you for sharing your story!
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Different, unique and personal but also captivating, quite original and very worthy.
Your film definitely reached me/here. Thank you ^_^ -
What a presence effect! I felt myself as a participant of every single scene! Amazing!
I’ve been to Okinawa and could see how different it is from the rest of Japan: people, food, architecture, etc. Yonaguni is MUCH different.
Thank you Higashimori-sama for this journey! -
This was totally magical. I could not understand any of the spoken words, but the meaning went far beyond the words.
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This was such a dreamy experience. I was moved by the islands beauty and the still calmness of the inhabitants and their traditions. The oneiric imagery in combination with the reduced dialogue made this such an immersive experience. Thank you for this beautiful work.
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ESTE FILM RECLAMA POR LA MEMORIA Y LAS TRADICIONES. ME CONMOVIÓ.
AGRADEZCO A LOS ORGANIZADORES DEL FESTIVAL POR DARME LA OPORTUNIDAD TODOS LOS AÑOS DE COMPARTIR EL CINE INDEPENDIENTE JAPONÉS.
EL CINE DE JAPON.ES MUY PROFUNDO Y SIN HIPOCRESÍAS.
ESPERO EL AÑO PROXIMO RECIBIR NUEVAMENTE LA INVITACIÓN PARA SEGUIR DISFRUTANDO.
MUY AGRADECIDA. -
An exquisite storytelling with mundane beautiful visuals and symbols. Though I was clueless in the first half (because I didn’t read the synopsis and went into the movie without knowing what I was in for), I was nonetheless enchanted by Yonaguni Island.
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Mesmerising and immersive experience, the pace and the dialogue make this movie almost oneiric though grounded in real life.
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Thank you for bringing Yonaguni to us, that we may learn of the island, the people’s way of life, its language, and its beauty. This line from the movie spoke out to me, which underlines the significance and urgency of this film: “It’s easier to forget than we think. Yet even if we want to keep as much as possible in both of our hands, the passing of time leaves us with little”.
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Es una película que logra transmitir el amor de la directora por Yonaguni, su tierra natal. Para alguien como yo, que nunca he visitado ni Japón ni Okinawa, el poder ver a la gente en sus actividades tanto cotidianas como en sus celebraciones, escuchar los testimonios de los mayores sobre la vida antes, y también observar trabajos como la pesca o el tejido, me dan una idea muy amplia de Yonaguni. Creo que es una película que motiva al espectador a investigar más sobre el lugar y también a apreciar todos estos sitios que, alrededor del mundo, debemos preservar por su valor histórico y cultural.
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I like movies.
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Me ha encantado. Es una película que se hace corta y que cada escena y corte se respira. Es una manera muy original de presentar la tierra natal de la directora. Siento que he estado en Yonaguni, que he conocido a sus gentes. Pero lo más importante es que no es un documental que explique la historia de la isla. Es un documental de sentimientos. En vez de presentarte Yonaguni con datos, lo hacen con el corazón, y eso llega mucho más profundo. Además, el lenguaje tan único de isla es todo un tesoro que he podido descubrir. Totalmente recomendada si queréis pasar una hora relajada, disfrutando de las escenas y de los sonidos. Preguntándote qué significa su simbolismo y respirando verde, azul, e incertidumbre.
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Wonderfull film I was captivated throughout by the sounds and images.
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Me costó dejarme llevar o entender la idea del documental (algo que me ayudó a partir del minuto 30). A veces yo agradezco un poco más de información para poder seguir lo que ocurre, la historia, la tradición. Aún así, felicidades Aika.
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Gracias a este tipo de material audiovisual, una persona como yo que vive al otro lado del mundo puede conocer un poco más de la cultura, el lenguaje, los paisajes y tantos símbolos de un lugar tan fascinante como la isla Yonaguni. Tantas cosas que quisiera entender, pero me quedo con la conexión que se hace de todos los personajes y sus vivencias.
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Very nice way of presenting the preservation of a dying dialect/language and culture as depicted in this doc film.
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I love how you express your memories and love of your homeland through the form of experimental documentary. A very interesting film.
面白かったです！機会があればぜひ与那国島にいってみたいです。次の作品お楽しみです。頑張ってください！
Nice