War and its collateral damage on countries and people embroiled in it long after the firing starts is front and center in Shadows of the Rising Sun, 4 Films, 1 week-end at Japan Society in New York from December 10 to December 12, 2010.
"In four epoch-making titles, poised between past and present, Shadows of the Rising Sun explores the conflagration and its dreadful consequences: the feature films presented, from Kon Ichikawa’s 1959 arch-classic Fires on the Plain to Koji Wakamatsu’s recent and controversial shocker (which earned main actress Shinobu Terajima the 2010 Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival), go to the confines of history and truth, beyond the bright madness of battle and heroism, into the metaphysical realm of death, evil, sacrifice and the sublime."
The shocker by Koji Wakamatsu is Caterpillar (poster below).
If you have not seen the movie and/or are not familiar with Koji Wakamatsu's work, Dissidentz International (the movie's distributor) shares an illuminating and thoughtful interview with the director.
War Movies with a Japanese Lens for Tokyo Thursdays # 168
Previously: Suzuki for Sashimi, Or is it Mulloway