The second OAFF film that uses the catastrophic Kobe Earthquake as its base, after “Reiko and the Dolphin“, takes another approach to the subject, by focusing more on the present.
After a rather intriguing intro, where a man asks questions about the earthquake and the replies come in the form of text on a black screen like in the silent movies of the past, we are introduced to the first protagonist of the film, Maika Yamagaki. Maika is a 25-year-old deaf girl (thus the intro) who works in a cafe in Kobe run by her uncle, Koichi. She is always cheerful, and despite some issues here and there due to her condition, quite good at her job. Tatsuya Shirasaka is a 30-year-old deliveryman who lost his family in the earthquake. He tries to cope but the trauma is big and Tatsuya is depressed. However, when the two meet, he manages to open up and the mentality of the girl rubs off on him.
Misa Takai directs a film that has two distinct purposes: To highlight the trauma from the disaster that, obviously, still lingers, and to share a light of hope about the future, that also includes, though, the memory of the past. The two protagonists function as the embodiments of these two aspects, Tatsuya for the former and Maika for the latter, with Kazunari Yanagitani and Tsumugi Harada giving very convincing performances. Takai highlights the fact that communication, even in the “extreme” style it occurs in the film, is the cure for the psychological consequences of the trauma, instead of the locking up of feelings that is so common in Japanese society. Furthermore, Takai also seems to suggest that experiencing the memory and the trauma collectively, could provide solace, as indicated by the actual footage presented during the finale of the short.
On a secondary level, the narrative also focuses on the hardships people with special needs face.
At one point, the movie lingers towards the melodrama, particularly during the end, but Takai makes this part also work, while the main subject actually justifies this approach.
“Bring Light to the Kobe” is a well-shot short film, that manages to get its messages through quite eloquently, from a director that seems to have the knack for social dramas.
