Rhapsody in August (1991) - full transcript

SHOCHIKU presents

A film by AKIRA KUROSAWA

RHAPSODY IN AUGUST

A Kurosawa Production

Presented by Feature Film Enterprise 2

Executive Producer: Toru Okuyama

Producer: Hisao Kurosawa

From the novel by Kiyoko Murata

Associate Director: Ishiro Honda

Associate Producers:
Mike Y. Inoue, Seikichi lizumi

Photography: Takao Saito, Masaharu Ueda



Art Direction: Yoshiro Muraki
Lighting: Takeji Sano

Recording: Kenichi Benitani
Costumes: Kazuko Kurosawa

Music: From Schubert and Vivaldi
and by Shinichiro Ikebi

With

Sachiko Murase

Hidetaka Yoshioka - Tomoko Ontakara
Mie Suzuki - Mitsunori Isaki

Hisashi Igawa - Toshie Negeshi
Choichiro Kawarasaki - Namuri Kayashima

and Richard Gere

Written and Directed by Akira Kurosawa

It was kind of a funny summer.

During vacation, nothing
but strange things seemed to happen.

And the boy a rose did see

Give it up! That organ!
It gets worse as you try to fix it.

I will absolutely fix it.



I got into college.

Finally managed to get out of
the examination hell.

Made up my mind.

Absolutely no studying
during this summer vacation.

I've got plenty of time
to fix this organ, absolutely...

Here we go again with Tateo's "absolutely."
You said it three times already.

A letter from Hawaii.

Pictures are enclosed.

Let's see.

"I hasten to inform you that we were met...

"by the family of Suzujiro's son
at Honolulu Airport."

Dad has a lei.

"We knew that Suzujiro's deceased wife
was an American...

"but were somewhat surprised to find...

"that all the family members
were 100 percent Americans."

Terrific!

This is a Cadillac limousine!

His son Clark and wife, Natalie...

and their children Michael and Emily.

This Michael and Emily
look like they are just about our age.

And Emily, she's a very beautiful girl.

- Tateo, are you falling for her?
- Stupid!

"But all of them speak broken Japanese,
which set our minds at ease."

I understand how they felt.
Father is rather poor with English.

"After a comfortable drive
of about 20 minutes...

"we arrived at Suzujiro's residence.

"Immediately we met Suzujiro,
who was sick in bed."

Is he Grandma's elder brother?

"Suzujiro looked better than
we had anticipated.

"He was so pleased
that he held our hands tightly...

"and did not want to let go
for quite some time.

"But he was very disappointed
that Grandma did not come.

"He repeatedly asked us
what was wrong with her...

"and we didn't know how to answer him.

"Since Grandma had said no...

"we came to see Suzujiro on her behalf...

"which was the wrong thing to do.

"We are her blood relatives...

"but after all, we are actually strangers
as far as Suzujiro is concerned.

"The person he really wanted to see
was the Ione survivor...

"his sister, Grandma.

"We can't do her job.

"Suzujiro, who had kept
his eyes closed for a while...

"opened them, and said:

"'Grandma might as well come to see him...

"'with her grandchildren
during summer vacation.'

"He said, 'We would feel easier that way.'

"It's a good idea, please do what he said."

- Going to...
- To Hawaii.

"I also think it's a good idea.

"Grandma, please think it over again.

"A trip to Hawaii is not too different...

"from a trip between Nagasaki and Tokyo,
where our home is."

That's right!

"I also beg your favor.

"Please come to Hawaii
with your four grandchildren...

"and meet Suzujiro.

"With hasty regards, Tadao."

Grandma, it's a very good idea!
You should go, absolutely.

- Everybody to Hawaii!
- Wonderful!

- It will be a great holiday!
- Grandma, let's go! Let's go, please!

Wait! My mother also wrote...

"Dear Grandma,
Suzujiro told us to stay at his home.

"No sense staying at a hotel.

"We decided to take advantage
of his hospitality.

"It is such a big, magnificent residence.

"We are just loafing around.

"The garden is beautiful, and nothing
is better than the ocean-side view.

"Grandma, please do come! Yoshie."

Look! It's a gorgeous home!

It looks just like a hotel!

Here's another letter.
It's from Clark, Suzujiro's son.

It's written in katakana.

Here, can you see it?

"Dear Aunt...

"I am the son...

"of your eldest brother...

"Suzujiro Haruno.

"Ever since my father...

"came from Japan...

"to Hawaii in 1920...

"he lived with the pineapples...

"and he will soon die as an American...

"leaving me this vast farm.

"He tells me that he wishes to see you...

"his younger sister, before he dies.

"Please come and see my father.

"Sincerely yours, Clark."

It's touching!

It sure is.

Say, Grandma, let's go to Hawaii.

You heard what the letter said.
It wouldn't be nice for you not to go.

But still, this is all so strange.

It could be some kind of mistake.

Cut it out now!
Sure, if Grandma was a millionaire...

it's possible it could be a swindler
claiming to be your brother.

But I bet there is no one fool enough...

to bother lying about being
a brother of poor Grandma.

In the first place, these people are rich!

Suzujiro Haruno.

Surely, my maiden name is Haruno...

but I can't remember the name Suzujiro.

After all, I was born in a poor family
that was blessed only with children.

I had more than ten brothers and sisters.

More than ten?

Besides that, this man is an American,
isn't he?

- How could he be my big brother?
- It was written in the letter.

He went to Hawaii as an immigrant
and became naturalized.

Although he has American citizenship...

Grandma's brother is still
Grandma's brother.

This guy Suzujiro must be
Grandma's elder brother.

Right. Otherwise, what would be the reason
for him trying to find you?

I know...

what you mean, but...

Guess it's about the right time
to eat some kidney beans.

Real stubborn. That's for sure.

"Who needs them!" There's no television.

And that refrigerator,
guess how much I had to beg her to buy it?

She still won't go for a washing machine.

"Washing can be done
without a thing like that," she says.

A stone head, with a reed screen over it.

It's delicious, really delicious!

Eating with all of you
makes the food extra tasty.

Grandma.

Let my sister cook the meals
starting tomorrow.

I'm sure it will be good for everybody.

And it will be much easier on you,
too, Grandma.

Don't worry about me.

To put it simply...

Grandma's cooking is driving us to despair.

In other words, your cooking
just doesn't agree with our tastes.

I mean, as a matter of fact,
it's just plain lousy.

I'm sorry, Grandma, but...

this pumpkin and kidney beans,
and pumpkin and chicken...

it's so boiled down with soy sauce
that we can't even tell which piece is which.

- It is so black, and pulpy, and salty...
- Tateo!

I think Grandma's cooking is lousy
because of her false teeth.

As long as everything is soft,
it's all right with her.

- But we don't have false teeth.
- Shinjiro!

Shinjiro, you sure are great!
You did real well.

That's true. Because of you...

I can sit at the table starting tomorrow
with a sense of relief.

You mean eating is your only concern?

But you can't get away that easy.
Tomorrow, we go shopping in Nagasaki.

- And you're coming, too, Shinjiro.
- Count me out.

I have the big project to convince Grandma
to take us all to Hawaii with her.

Yeah! That's the grand theme
for this summer vacation!

We shall all go to Hawaii! Absolutely!
Let's all hold out!

Fate is knocking at the door.

Under this beautiful town of Nagasaki...

there is another Nagasaki
that vanished with one atomic bomb.

Didn't Grandpa die
in the Nagasaki atom bombing?

- Yes.
- How come Grandma was safe?

She was at the house, behind the mountain,
10 kilometers away from the blast center.

But she told me
that her hair was a result of the atom bomb.

That's because Grandma came to Nagasaki
on that day, looking for Grandpa.

The school where Grandpa was teaching
was close to the blast center.

And did she find Grandpa?

The school building was crushed flat
and burned, and full of charred bodies.

It was impossible to identify
which one of them was Grandpa.

Do you want to go to the school?

You know, Grandma was also a teacher
at this school.

She quit when she married Grandpa.

She sure was lucky, wasn't she?

I don't know about that.

When Grandpa died,
our father was still a baby...

and Grandma was carrying
Minako's mother in her belly.

Being left alone...

I bet it must have been
very hard on Grandma.

Still...

even though no one ever found Grandpa...

he's here, I'm sure.

That day, we went around
the town of Nagasaki...

because we wanted to know a lot more
about the atomic bomb.

Even though the atomic bomb was dropped,
this survived?

No, it was rebuilt.

But there are some things
left just as they were at that time.

The angels all look as if they are crying.

The atomic bomb blasted right above here.

Portugal.

These are monuments...

sent from different countries of the world.

Czechoslovakia.

Italy.

Poland.

Bulgaria.

The Soviet Union.

China.

Brazil.

Cuba.

Holland.

I can't find the one from America.

What do you expect? America is the one
that dropped the atomic bomb.

"I was so very thirsty.

"Water, water." All died uttering that word.

But nowadays, for most of the people...

the atomic bomb is something
that happened once upon a time.

People are apt to forget...

even a dreadful event like that...

as the years pass by.

Can we leave it like that?

I really pity Grandpa and Grandma.

Want some ice cream?

Grandma.

Grandma.

You're late!

What have you been doing?

It's all right, now, all right.

What's the matter now?

I think Grandma would like it not too spicy.

May I start eating?

I'm really embarrassed. Grandma puts her
hands together to worship what I cooked.

- And it was really delicious.
- That's true!

We're all counting on you from now on.

Look at this.

What is this?

To convince her to agree to go to Hawaii,
I talked about Suzujiro today.

Then Grandma started to remember
the names of her brothers.

"Tetsutaro.

"Dozaburo.

"Jushiro.

"Shogoro.

"Kuginosuke.

"Natakichi.

"Kuwata.

"Suzukichi.

"Nabe.

"Kane. Kyoko."

These names have
the Chinese symbol for metal.

Grandma's father, our great-grandfather,
seems to have been a real weirdo.

"Kane." So this is our Grandma, right?

- Eleven!
- Eleven?

And she says there must have been two
or three more, but she can't remember them.

And Suzujiro is among the ones
she can't remember?

But you know, Tetsutaro,
Dozaburo, there, is number two.

I think the brother between those two
is Suzujiro.

I'm pretty sure of it. First, the Chinese
character for Suzu has the symbol for metal.

Even if she could remember,
Grandma won't go to Hawaii. I'm sure of it.

Why's that?

Grandma doesn't like America,
and it's only natural.

After all, Grandpa was killed
by the atomic bomb.

I think he's right.

You see, none of us
and none of our parents know about war.

As for the atomic bomb...

Sure, we've all heard about it.

But it meant nothing more
than a sort of little scary fairy tale.

We never really understood
the feelings of the people...

who had the atom bomb dropped over
their heads. We never stopped to think.

Look at my mother.

Just by being told that there's
a rich relative in Hawaii, she got excited.

Isn't it disgusting? My father's no different.

He didn't even spend time with Grandma.
He took off for Hawaii in a hurry.

Big Sis!

Here, eat these.

I'm really pleased...

that you are so concerned about me.

I'm very grateful.

But then, it was a long time ago
when I felt bitter about America.

It's been more than 45 years
since Grandpa died.

Now, I don't particularly like...

or dislike America.

It's all because of war.

War is to blame.

During the war many Japanese died...

and many Americans also died.

Listen...

because of a man called Suzujiro
or whatever...

I don't think it's right for you
to talk badly about your parents.

I was the one who sort of drove them
to go off to Hawaii...

for my own joy of having the four of you
here, all to myself, while they're gone.

Anyway, I want all of you to stay here
during summer vacation.

The rich man in Hawaii
means nothing to me.

I'm just grateful
to be able to live with you like this...

because of him.

Now, go on, eat.

Grandma's watermelon is real tasty.

Thank you!

Grandpa used to play this so often...

I know I got old...

and so did this organ.

I'll fix it. I sure will. Absolutely.

You're saying "absolutely" again.

There were so many of them.

But they all died.

All of them died
because of the atomic bomb?

No. Some of them died because of that,
but there were some who died young...

and some who died in places far away.

This one, Natakichi...

he was my seventh or eighth brother,
I think.

He left home
and became a shoemaker in Nagasaki.

After five years of apprenticeship...

just as he was ready to open his own shop...

he made a gross mistake.

What did he do?

Big Bro' Natakichi...

eloped with the shoemaker's wife.

Hey, why don't you go to bed?

I'm not sleepy.

Then what happened to Natakichi?

My father was furious...

and refused to let him come back home.

So Natakichi was obliged
to build a small hut...

far up in the mountain behind here...

and make a scanty living
by making shoes there.

They lived in a place...

where two charred cedar trees...

that had been struck by lightning...

stood along the path
they used in their escape.

But why live in a place like that?

While they were running away...

the woman who was holding
Natakichi's hand...

saw those two trees...

and said they looked like...

they had committed a double suicide.

And that's why they built a hut at that place.

- A real weird story.
- It makes me feel eerie.

I'm going to bed.

Me, too. I'm totally bushed today.

Good night.

- Tomorrow, let's all go there and see.
- Go where? See what?

Those two trees that committed
double suicide by being struck by lightning.

Don't be stupid!
That happened a long time ago.

Those trees can't still be there.

I can't see them. Grandma told me
they were still here, though.

Burnt trees keep standing forever
because they won't rot.

There they are! That's it! Let's go and see.

Why don't we just look from where we are?

I don't know why, but I'm a little scared.

"Those two cedar trees look as if
they have committed double suicide."

"We are two elopers.

"Why not live next to them?"

What are you doing?

Sorry! I just got carried away
because of the mood.

Stupid! I'm going back!

Wait a minute! Hey, wait a minute!

What's wrong?

Something's weird. An old lady
from somewhere came to visit Grandma.

So what? What's so weird about that?

But you see, they just sit face to face.
That's it.

They don't say a word, for all this time.

And it's been one hour already.

Grandma, see if this letter
is all right to send to Hawaii.

"Hello there.
Grandma is now inclined to go to Hawaii."

This is just in diplomatic language.

After all,
we have to consider their feelings, too.

"But before that, she says
she wants to make sure about Suzujiro.

"Even with the picture you sent,
she doesn't remember...

"due to his age, and his looks after being ill.

"If you have a picture taken
when Suzujiro was young...

"please send it as soon as possible.

"And ask Suzujiro to try and recall
the names of his brothers.

"If he recalls the names
of Tetsutaro, Dozaburo and Jushiro...

"those names would match
Grandma's memory.

"And it would mean that Suzujiro
is definitely the elder brother of Grandma.

"In haste, respectfully..."

That's a great idea.
Tateo, you are something!

This is all right, isn't it?

- Thank you for all your trouble.
- Then I'll send it right away tomorrow.

But it's possible that letter
will cross father on the way.

He's got a job, and it's about time
for him to be coming back.

No, he won't be coming back.

There's the pineapple farm,
even if he gets fired.

That old lady who came to visit you today,
what did she come here for?

She came to chat with me.

But you didn't talk at all.

Both of you just sat there saying nothing.

And then that old lady bowed to you
and left without saying a word.

There are things
we don't need words to understand.

Her husband also died...

in Nagasaki, just like Grandpa.

That's why she comes here now and then...

sits down for a while without saying a word,
and leaves without saying a word.

There are people who are silent...

while they are talking.

This one, Suzukichi...

the youngest brother.

He was a little weak in the head.

Ever since he lost all of his hair
from the atomic bomb...

he shut himself up in a room
and stayed there.

But on hot summer days...

it must have been insufferable for him.

He used to slip out when the moon came up,
and sneak away for a swim...

in the basin of a waterfall
deep in the mountains. That's right, yes.

That waterfall is a nice one.
You should go there sometime.

And then, that boy, what was he doing
every day in the room?

- He just kept on drawing pictures.
- What kind of pictures?

For some strange reason,
only pictures of eyes.

- Eyes?
- Eyes like this.

As long as there was paper...

he just drew eyes, never getting tired of it.

He's spooky!

I bet those were eyes
seen through an obsession.

He loathed the idea
of being seen with his hairless head.

And he must have been obsessed
by the eyes of people.

It must be those eyes.

This kind of drawing?

That's it! That's exactly it.

Those are exactly the same pictures.

Come to think of it...

you sure do look like Suzukichi.

You are like two peas in a pod.

That's really something!

- Let's sleep with this door open tonight.
- Why?

I don't know why, but I'm scared.

When I shut my eyes,
the picture of those eyes glares at me.

Cut it out! Now you're
going to make me have a nightmare!

Coward!

Grandma's story, I wonder if it's true?

I can't believe that Suzukichi,
who was a little weak in the head...

came here to swim at night.

That just proves he was weak in the head.

Isn't it rather cold here?

Grandma says there's a water imp
living in the basin of the waterfall.

Stop it! Don't start a story like that.

Come on, let's eat our lunch.

By the way,
what will you do if you go to Hawaii?

First of all, eat a pineapple.

You've sure got a limited imagination.

Maybe it's only natural,
since you're the reincarnation of Suzukichi.

You are his double,
including being weak in the head.

He was only joking.

Tateo, what do you want to do?

What else is there? He'll devote himself
to flirting with Clark's daughter.

Will you propose to her?

Don't be stupid!
Emily is one of our relatives.

She's related by blood to Grandma.
Marrying her is out of the question.

You don't even know a thing like that?

According to Mendel's laws,
there's a high probability...

for the offspring of
a consanguineous marriage to be recessive.

In terms of eugenics, absolutely.

The eyes of the snake.
The eyes that Suzukichi drew. See that?

Those eyes are...

Grandma is there, too. What are they doing?

They are chanting Buddhist sutras.

Now and then, old ladies get together
and hold a religious service...

for the souls of the departed.

That's why
there's no Buddhist altar at home.

It's already August.

The day of the atomic bomb is coming.

August 9.

Grandpa's death day.

I see there are other people who
have the same kind of idea as Grandma.

There are quite a few old people like that
around here. Suzukichi was one of them.

Although the point where the atom bomb
was dropped is quite far from here.

Snake eyes?

The eyes on Suzukichi's drawing...

are not snake eyes.

They are the eyes of the flash.

That's right. Around here...

on that day, when we heard
the air raid siren...

Suzukichi and me were looking...

towards Nagasaki over that mountain.
Both of us standing right here.

Suddenly, the sky split in half
and glared at us.

A big eye...

peeped through the crack.

The big eye...

glared fiercely...

at both of us.

We just looked at the sky
like we were frozen.

With a tremendously big sound...

the ground started shaking.

Suzukichi was terrified. He didn't move.

Staring...

with wide eyes at the sky.

After that, he was possessed by the eye.

He could see nothing else.

And he kept drawing that picture.

I can't forget that eye either.

No other eyes are as frightful as that eye.

The moon also glitters,
but it's not frightening.

Moonlight is nice.

Yes, it was on a night just like tonight...

a strange thing happened...

Stop it!

Don't tell us any scary stories anymore.

I never told...

you a scary story.

When I was in the kitchen,
I heard a feeble voice saying:

"Hello, hello."

I heard a feeble voice.

I looked...

and saw a strange boy poking his head in.

He said, "Your Suzukichi..."

Suzukichi again?

"Your Suzukichi was drowning in the pool...

"so I pulled him out...

"and carried him here.

"I put him on the grass over there."

This was what the little boy said.

He was a skinny little boy.

And sure enough,
he was soaking wet himself...

with water still dripping from his hair.

I was so shocked. I rushed out to see.

I saw...

Suzukichi lying there.

Looking quite dazed.

And what happened to the skinny little boy?

When I looked around...

he was gone.

I wonder how a skinny little boy could have
carried Suzukichi all the way back here?

Because it was the water imp.

Water imp?

Later on, the village people
and my father talked about that.

But then they all came to the conclusion
that it was the water imp.

Those skinny, cucumber-like arms and legs.

And his green face, like a leaf.

It couldn't possibly have been
anything else but the water imp.

Grandma is pretty good
at telling all those make-believe stories.

Maybe it's our fault,
listening to her so seriously.

It's not make-believe, it's her dotage.
After all, consider her age.

What happened?

The water imp was peeking in the window!

Stop talking nonsense!

Shinjiro! Why, you...

Wait up!

"Suzujiro confirmed the names
of his brothers.

"Please come to a definite decision
to come to Hawaii. Tadao."

What'll you do, Grandma?

I'll go.

But the anniversary of Grandpa's death
is coming pretty soon.

I will go after I hold
a memorial service for him.

All right? What? Grandma decided to go?

Yes. You didn't see the telegram
telling you that?

No, I'm afraid the telegram was sent
while we were on the way back.

I guess we didn't have to come back
in such a hurry.

Thought it was impossible
for mere children to move Grandma.

Grandma said she'd go right after holding
a memorial service for Grandpa.

Did you write that in the telegram?

Yes, he did.

August 9 is the day Grandpa died
because of the atom bomb.

She'll go after
the memorial service on that day.

That's not advisable.

If Clark reads that telegram,
it's going to be pretty awkward, isn't it?

Why do you say that?

Why?

Because Clark is an American.

And after he finds out that Grandpa
was killed by the atom bomb...

of course, it will make him feel
pretty awkward.

We've got trouble.

Father, you mean that you went there...

and didn't tell Suzujiro and Clark
and his family about Grandpa?

Of course not. It is something
that is not necessary to mention.

It's Father!

Sam and Mother!

Thanks...

for all your trouble.

I'll bet it was some trip for you, too.

Machino told me that you were coming
straight here.

Since I haven't seen Grandma for some time,
I decided to come and pay a visit.

Me too. I've been having Grandma
look after my kids all this time.

So I must see her and thank her.

By the way, how was it in Hawaii?
I made a little inquiry and found out...

that the pineapple farm
is considerably large...

and the canning factory
that goes with it, too.

And tell me, Suzujiro's house,
I hear it's just like a castle. Is it?

Mother...

you have come here to see Grandma.
Why don't you ask about her?

Tonight's dinner was quite a spread,
but it wasn't enjoyable, was it?

Because the grownups' chatter
wasn't enjoyable.

Let's eat their souvenir.

Tateo...

don't you find it strange?

Why do they hide
everything about Grandpa?

To put it nicely, they do that
out of consideration for Suzujiro and Clark.

And to put it not nicely, it's sort of
a diplomatic tactic and calculation.

To put it straight,
they don't want to ruin the relationship...

with that rich family
that they've suddenly got.

Hold on. You mean that Grandma
is just being used as an excuse?

That's terrible.

That's the reality of being a grownup.

Still, I hate it.

Can you take it?

Me? Count me out.
I'm going to concentrate on this.

At any rate, the pineapple farm
is tremendously vast.

It has eight thousand
and some hundred acres.

There are six huge chimneys soaring up
from the canning factory.

There is this huge swimming pool
in the patio of the house.

Clark's wife got a swimsuit out
for me to use.

But you see, I can't swim.

And Clark took us on a tour
of the factory, too.

Did you know the factory's agency
is in Tokyo?

I know that. They've got agencies
in every big city in the world.

Tell me, what is Clark's wife like?

A very nice person.
So different from rich Japanese wives.

She broke down all reserve in no time,
and looked after us like her family.

And why not?
After all, you are a blood relative.

I guess you're right.

And about the agency
of the canning factory.

I got the impression that Clark wants
me to work there.

And of course,
the post will be a good one, I imagine.

I'm thinking about it.

Since it is simply unbearable
to stay a clerk forever, you know.

That's true.

Well, now, don't forget about me
when the time comes, all right?

Now let's have a drink.

Thank you.

What miserable men you are.

What is eating inside your heads?

You're just like beggars.

I am only going because...

this man Suzujiro is my big brother.

And mind you, I am not going
to see him because he is rich.

Everybody, come over here!

What is it?

It's a beautiful moonlit night.
Let's enjoy the cool evening outside!

Grandpa used to love to watch the moon.

He always said watching the moon
washed his mind clean.

He often stood in the garden
and looked at the moon.

Grandma is certainly a lady
of firm character, isn't she?

No, she's just old-fashioned.

In short, she has an antiquated mind.

But still, the way she talks
is worthy of an educator.

I'm sure Grandpa was, also.

They were both schoolteachers.
Both of them had strict morals.

And now...

we've upset Grandma.

I feel pretty bad.

You've got to do something about it.

Stop worrying.

She'll recover her mood pretty quick.

Still, what if she starts to say
she won't go to Hawaii again?

You know how stubborn she is.

I've got an idea.

Why don't you, Tadao, and Yoshie stay here
until the anniversary of Grandpa's death?

Devote yourselves to Grandma's service...

and send her to Hawaii in a good mood.

I can't do that.
I've got work to do at the office.

Why not? You've still got
some summer vacation left.

And besides...

if the circumstances require, there's
a road open to the canning company, right?

But I've got to get passports
for Grandma and the children.

Don't worry about that.
I will take care of it myself.

Keeping Grandma in a good mood
is our first priority.

If she starts to say that she won't go again,
it'll be a serious problem.

"I received your telegram.

"Clark will come right away, Suzujiro."

I knew that telegram would mess things up.

Americans do resent being reminded
of the atom bomb.

Japanese-Americans are
especially sensitive about it.

I think they feel embarrassed
by the Americans.

I wonder why Clark is coming here?

Well, that's...

He's probably coming...

to wind up this matter once and for all.

I see.

To tell us to forget the whole thing.

By the way, I guess I must be going, now.

Then I think I'd better be going, too.

Since my being here is useless.

You don't mind, do you?

I must say, what a letdown.

Really, all that trouble for nothing.

It's your fault, sending a telegram like that.

That's enough!

Don't you blame Tateo.

I made him write that.

But...

I don't see what is wrong
about writing the truth.

Stupid!

They did drop the atom bomb,
and they resent being reminded of it?

If they don't like it,
they don't have to remember it.

But I can't have them pretending ignorance.

They claim they dropped
the flash to stop war.

It's already been 45 years now.

But the flash hasn't stopped war.

They're still killing people!

But you know...

war is to blame.

People do anything...

just to win a war.

Sooner or later,
it will be the ruin of all of us.

Now, let's go to the arrival lobby.

There's still time before he comes out.

But...

I feel sort of depressed.

If he came here
because of what my mother said...

I don't want to meet Clark.

Shall we run away?

I feel really awkward
about introducing Clark to Grandma.

So do I. But it can't be helped.

Don't you think what we are doing
might not be the right thing to do to Clark?

Who cares?

He just came to finish off
the relationship with Grandma.

- Hello!
- Hello!

Thank you.

Why didn't you tell us...

about Uncle?

I wish I had known.

When we found out...

about Uncle...

we all cried.

Looking at Nagasaki, it's hard to believe
this is where the bomb was dropped.

People do forget everything,
and so quickly, too.

But I will never forget!

Say, let's go back there once more.

You mean, that school?

Yes. Let's go to Grandpa's place.

Where is Nagasaki?

We can't see it yet.

It's on the other side of that mountain.

I wonder what happened to the children?

They didn't want to meet Clark.
That's for sure.

It's all our fault.

Our...

stupidity.

But Clark...

We didn't think that.

Clark, is there any place that you
would like to see in Nagasaki?

Yes, there is.

So, we'll go to the hotel, and then...

I don't need a hotel.

I'm going to stay at Aunty's place.

Before that, there's a place I'd like to see.

The place where Uncle died.

What? You were all here?

Clark came to apologize to Grandma.

He found out about Grandpa
by reading that telegram.

But Father, you said...

I'm sorry. It was because I was stupid.

Hello.

My son, Tateo, and my daughter, Minako.

I'm Clark. How do you do?

My son, Shinjiro.

My daughter.

They're adorable.

I'm so happy to meet you.

After August 9...

let's all go...

to Hawaii with Aunty.

My uncle...

Right here?

And this is...

the monument built for the children
who died on that day.

With these children...

my uncle died.

Just where did it happen?

That's something we just can't find.

You can't find?

That day...

the whole town was in flames.

And this place was filled with people
who came here to try and escape from it.

But the school had also been burned.

The people were burned.

Iron, everything.

These people are the classmates
of the children who died here.

These people...

Somehow, they scare me.

It's because...

those are the people
who witnessed the worst fear.

Seeing these people...

Nagasaki... That day...

I can feel it.

Okay.

Even if it's okay for you,
it's still too short for Clark.

His feet will stick out.

He's the same size as John Wayne.

How about using this to add length?

We did make fools of ourselves.

Don't you think so?

I guess you're right.

I really feel ashamed.

Where's Clark?

He stepped out into the garden
with Grandma.

I wonder if it's all right.
I wonder if they can communicate.

I think it's all right.
They seem to be talking just fine.

I am terribly sorry
for not knowing about Uncle.

I'm really sorry.

That's all right.

You were born and live in Nagasaki.

And still...

we didn't realize it.

That was wrong of us.

We were wrong.

That's all right.

My father told me...

"Clark, go...

"and do whatever you can for your aunt."

That's what he said.

That's all right.

This is just fine.

Thank you very much.

No. Thank you very much.

You've made me very happy.

Very, very happy.

Where's Clark?

He's talking to Grandma,
sitting on the bench.

I saw them shake hands.

I feel as though I saw something very nice.

That's wonderful!

And the boy a rose did see

The tone, it's all fixed!

Didn't I tell you that I'd absolutely fix it?

How about that?

Let's sing!

And the boy a rose did see

A rose standing in the field

Blossoming in innocence

Awed by the color it did yield

A never-ending fascination

For the crimson color

Of the rose standing in the field

Bravo!

You sound like angels. This was amazing.

Is this Uncle's room?

This is your bed.

Oh, my God.

Okay?

Okay.

Not bad!

I better try it, shouldn't I?

Oh, yeah!

This is a bed. This is a real bed.

What's that up there?

- Is there a picture of Uncle?
- Yeah, here.

And here.

This is Grandpa.

Very young.

Forty-five years ago.

This picture was taken the same year...

he died.

Those large letters...

What do they mean?

"Let us all meet again
to join in the beyond."

A sea bream ascending a waterfall.

That's not right. It's carp.

A carp ascending a waterfall.

Darn it! I made a mistake.

Clark-san!

What's this?

Clark's father...

Suzujiro-san passed away.

It's Clark-san.

Clark-san is gone. He took a different plane.

We're home.

Clark sincerely regretted it.

Saying that it's almost unbearable
having to leave like that.

Big Brother...

I'm sorry.

I wish I'd come to see you sooner.

Big Brother!

Did you come to see me?

You'd better hurry or you'll miss your plane.

No. I've decided not to go.

But what about your work?

Shinjiro, you go and see
how Grandma is doing.

Is something the matter with Grandma?

There's something strange!

Grandma is sleeping. Snoring up a storm!

How is she?

She ate some rice porridge,
but she's asleep again.

Shall we go to bed, too?

It looks like we're going to have some rain.
Shall we close the sliding doors?

Grandma!

The bomb!

What's the matter, Grandma?

Grandma! What's going on?

It's the bomb!
You two, quick! Put this over you.

This is best for the bomb!

There're many who survived because
they were wearing something white!

The sooner, the better.

Let's take her to the hospital right away!

She's sound asleep now.

Maybe we should leave her as she is
a little longer.

Brother.

Grandma isn't there!

These...

They're Grandpa's clothes.

But why spread them out like this?

The clock in Grandma's head
is running in reverse.

So now, she is slipping back
to the time of Grandpa.

Hello!

Yes?

Just a little while ago,
your Grandma came to my place.

Then...

she saw the clouds and took off in a hurry.
She was headed for Nagasaki.

Today's clouds...

Iook exactly like they did on that day.

Maybe she remembered
what happened on that day.

No, I mean,
she thinks she's reliving that day.

Grandma!

Grandma!

And the boy a rose did see

A rose standing in the field

Blossoming in innocence

Awed by the color it did yield

A never-ending fascination

For the crimson color

Of the rose standing in the field