The 442nd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army is best known as the most decorated in U.S. military history and as a fighting unit composed almost entirely of second-generation American soldiers of Japanese ancestry (Nisei) who fought in World War II. In October 1944, the Nisei's first Vosges mission was to liberate two small towns: Bruyères, which required overtaking four surrounding hills, and Biffontaine. The plan did not go as planned, and the US forces suffered many losses.
442 The Nisei Soldier is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
Based on these real-events, Ryosuke Hoshiyama presents the story of two soldiers of the regiment, Corporal Kojima and Medic Yoshida, who have been split off from their main force as they seek refuge in the woods of Bruyères, only to find themselves in the home of a French widow. Just before that, however, they stumble upon a lonely German soldier, but do not kill him, in a sudden act of kindness. Eventually, a German patrol comes to the house of the widow, searching for them, but she does not give them up. Their adventures, however are not finished.
In a style that is rather Hollywood-like, both in terms of the very high quality of the production and the implementation of almost constant sound in an effort to evoke specific feelings, Hoshiyama directs a film that unfolds much like a thriller, with the agonizing moments coming one after the other, essentially carrying the 23-minute short from beginning to end. His approach, apart from entertainment, has a specific purpose, to show that even in rather extreme situations as such of war, acts of kindness do happen, and occasionally are even repaid. This aspect could be perceived as somewhat naïve, but the ending does not allow the movie to fall head-on into that reef, also showing that tragedy is the main ingredient of battle. Furthermore, Hoshiyama succeeds in showing the absurdity of the whole thing, as people who were once allies ended up fighting each other in the two World Wars, a concept that even brought brothers against each other. That the Nisei soldiers were more American than Japanese, on occasion at least, is also showcased here, in a comment that could be interpreted in a number of ways.
As mentioned before, however, the production values is the element that sets the short apart. The work done in the cinematography, both in the forest and inside the claustrophobic setting of the house is top notch, with the same applying to the sound and editing, which are also the main sources of agony and the overall atmosphere here. Smitty Chai as Kojima and Jonathan Tanigaki as Yoshida are convincing in their roles, and Marine Assaiante as the widow has her moments. The German soldiers, however, could have been a bit better.
Even if a bit naïve on occasion, “442 The Nisei Soldier” is an impressive short, particularly due to its audiovisual qualities and a film that is quite easy to watch.
