Questions posed to director of film “Little Boy”
Dec. 5, 2014
A World War II-themed film scheduled to open in the United States in February made its debut at the Hiroshima International Film Festival, which was held November 14-16 in Naka Ward. “Little Boy,” which also deals with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, is the story of a young boy who is determined to bring his father home from the battlefront, and his family. Junior Writers from the Chugoku Shimbun, who cover peace issues and engage in peace-related activities, attended the screening and wrote about their impressions of the film (below). They also asked questions during an interview with the film’s director, Alejandro Monteverde, via telephone and the Internet.
The story revolves around a young boy whose father goes to war in place of his elder son, who has been rejected for military service. The father is taken prisoner by the Japanese, but the boy is convinced that his father will return. I was moved by the boy’s efforts to follow the teachings of his pastor and to change.
As I was watching the movie I sympathized with the main character and the people of the town who celebrated after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima because it meant the boy’s father would come home and the war would end. When you live in Hiroshima you are only aware of the destruction the A-bomb caused, but I imagined that must have been how Americans felt. During the interview with the director via the Internet and by phone, he emphasized that war is wrong. I’d like people around the world to see this movie and to take action out of a desire for peace. (Maiko Hanaoka, first-year high school student)
The scene in which the people of the town rejoiced when they heard the news that an atomic bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima made an impression on me. In particular, the main character, a 7-year-old boy, was awaiting the return of his father, who had been caught up in the war. I was shocked by the way in which he innocently rejoiced when he realized the A-bombing would allow his father to come home.
It seems to me that people can’t lead happy lives in a society in which there is rejoicing when people are killed. I think we need to consider exactly how to go about building friendly relations with other countries and people of different cultures without the use of weapons. (Shiori Niitani, first-year high school student)
Pepper, the main character, was very admirable. World War II was on, and he fervently hoped for the return of his father, who had gone to the front. So he tried hard to do everything on a list of things to do that was given to him by his pastor.
One of the things on the list was to make friends with someone from Japan, America’s enemy. When the pastor added that to the list, he cited the passage from the Bible that says “love your enemies.”
But even if it’s written in the Bible, few people can love those they are supposed to hate, so I was glad that 7-year-old Pepper did that and that his wish was conveyed to his father. (Harumi Okada, first-year high school student)
I got a feeling for the war as seen by the Americans. In one scene in the film Americans cheered when they saw a newspaper telling of the atomic bombing. I realized some people believe that the A-bomb brought an end to the war and think it was a positive thing. By introducing both American and Japanese characters, the film gave me a strong sense that not only one country was hurt by the war.
Seeing this film I was able to consider the war from a new perspective. I once again sensed that, as the director also said, war never leads to anything good. (Kyoka Yamada, first-year high school student)
Although the main character in the film wanted his father, who had gone off to war, to come home as soon as possible and did his best to bring him home, there wasn’t really anything he could do directly. All he could do was to keep on believing, but I was impressed by his determination. One of the things his pastor told him he should do was to make friends with a Japanese person, which must have been unthinkable for an American in those days. But the boy was determined to do it for his father’s sake. That part was especially memorable. (Marika Tsuboki, third-year junior high school student)
Seeing this movie, I once again sensed the misery of war. The story is told through the eyes of a boy who is only 7 years old and not directly involved in the war. I wondered why the director decided to make a movie from the viewpoint of such a person, so I asked him about that [during the interview by Internet and phone that followed the screening]. He said that the only thing children can do is believe but that if they hate someone or something the thing they believe in won’t come to pass. I learned about not only the foolishness of war but also the importance of putting aside hatred. (Chiaki Yamada, third-year junior high school student)
When I first heard the title “Little Boy” I thought of the name of the atomic bomb. So I was surprised when I found out that the movie’s main character was a boy. It’s an innocent name that was given to a nuclear weapon that wiped out an entire city. The title seemed warped to me.
The movie is set in the United States during World War II. It’s the story of a 7-year-old boy named Pepper who tries to save his father, who has gone to the front. What left the biggest impression on me was the friendship between Pepper and Mr. Hashimoto, a Japanese man who lives in the U.S. Though wary of each other, the two of them eventually become friends. During the war the Japanese caused suffering for the Americans and vice versa. They caused suffering for each other without trying to understand each other. That’s what war is, I thought. I felt it was important for people to accept each other and to interact with each other as human beings just as Pepper and Mr. Hashimoto did. (Hiromi Ueoka, second-year junior high school student)
(Originally published on November 24, 2014)
The story revolves around a young boy whose father goes to war in place of his elder son, who has been rejected for military service. The father is taken prisoner by the Japanese, but the boy is convinced that his father will return. I was moved by the boy’s efforts to follow the teachings of his pastor and to change.
As I was watching the movie I sympathized with the main character and the people of the town who celebrated after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima because it meant the boy’s father would come home and the war would end. When you live in Hiroshima you are only aware of the destruction the A-bomb caused, but I imagined that must have been how Americans felt. During the interview with the director via the Internet and by phone, he emphasized that war is wrong. I’d like people around the world to see this movie and to take action out of a desire for peace. (Maiko Hanaoka, first-year high school student)
The scene in which the people of the town rejoiced when they heard the news that an atomic bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima made an impression on me. In particular, the main character, a 7-year-old boy, was awaiting the return of his father, who had been caught up in the war. I was shocked by the way in which he innocently rejoiced when he realized the A-bombing would allow his father to come home.
It seems to me that people can’t lead happy lives in a society in which there is rejoicing when people are killed. I think we need to consider exactly how to go about building friendly relations with other countries and people of different cultures without the use of weapons. (Shiori Niitani, first-year high school student)
Pepper, the main character, was very admirable. World War II was on, and he fervently hoped for the return of his father, who had gone to the front. So he tried hard to do everything on a list of things to do that was given to him by his pastor.
One of the things on the list was to make friends with someone from Japan, America’s enemy. When the pastor added that to the list, he cited the passage from the Bible that says “love your enemies.”
But even if it’s written in the Bible, few people can love those they are supposed to hate, so I was glad that 7-year-old Pepper did that and that his wish was conveyed to his father. (Harumi Okada, first-year high school student)
I got a feeling for the war as seen by the Americans. In one scene in the film Americans cheered when they saw a newspaper telling of the atomic bombing. I realized some people believe that the A-bomb brought an end to the war and think it was a positive thing. By introducing both American and Japanese characters, the film gave me a strong sense that not only one country was hurt by the war.
Seeing this film I was able to consider the war from a new perspective. I once again sensed that, as the director also said, war never leads to anything good. (Kyoka Yamada, first-year high school student)
Although the main character in the film wanted his father, who had gone off to war, to come home as soon as possible and did his best to bring him home, there wasn’t really anything he could do directly. All he could do was to keep on believing, but I was impressed by his determination. One of the things his pastor told him he should do was to make friends with a Japanese person, which must have been unthinkable for an American in those days. But the boy was determined to do it for his father’s sake. That part was especially memorable. (Marika Tsuboki, third-year junior high school student)
Seeing this movie, I once again sensed the misery of war. The story is told through the eyes of a boy who is only 7 years old and not directly involved in the war. I wondered why the director decided to make a movie from the viewpoint of such a person, so I asked him about that [during the interview by Internet and phone that followed the screening]. He said that the only thing children can do is believe but that if they hate someone or something the thing they believe in won’t come to pass. I learned about not only the foolishness of war but also the importance of putting aside hatred. (Chiaki Yamada, third-year junior high school student)
When I first heard the title “Little Boy” I thought of the name of the atomic bomb. So I was surprised when I found out that the movie’s main character was a boy. It’s an innocent name that was given to a nuclear weapon that wiped out an entire city. The title seemed warped to me.
The movie is set in the United States during World War II. It’s the story of a 7-year-old boy named Pepper who tries to save his father, who has gone to the front. What left the biggest impression on me was the friendship between Pepper and Mr. Hashimoto, a Japanese man who lives in the U.S. Though wary of each other, the two of them eventually become friends. During the war the Japanese caused suffering for the Americans and vice versa. They caused suffering for each other without trying to understand each other. That’s what war is, I thought. I felt it was important for people to accept each other and to interact with each other as human beings just as Pepper and Mr. Hashimoto did. (Hiromi Ueoka, second-year junior high school student)
(Originally published on November 24, 2014)
