Bijou: The Tale of Iya (2013)

The village Iya lies in a modest and undisturbed place, with forests stretching in all directions, far away from the hectic big cities of Japan. It’s not a large population, but they’re managing; despite sometimes difficult living conditions. Among them are an old man and his grandchild Haruna, living high up in the mountain without electricity or gas - an existence that seems unbearable to most. Kudo, a young man who comes to Iya to experience somthing different from the big city life, is however mesmerized by the seemingly simple life Haruna and the grandfather live.

According to a big 2010 research, about 90 % of Japan’s population lives in a city. Villages like Iya are in other words rare, and as the procentages increases, the pressure on those living outside what’s considered normal increases too. The young people in the village move to the cities to study, find work, and to establish a normal life. At the same time, people such as Kudo turn to nature in an attempt to find happiness; perhaps without realizing what that entitles. The Tale of Iya is a beautiful description of the interaction between humans and nature, seen from different perspectives.

With its capturing nature images, filmed on 35 mm, The Tale of Iya appears to be a true decleration of love to Japan’s breathtaking nature. The director and screenwriter, Tetsuichiro Tsuta, have grown up in a mountain village, and it becomes obvious that the theme of the movie is something close to him. Ahead of the filming he drove around i some of Japan’s mountain areas, on the look out for someone living like Haruna and the grandfather, but he was met with abandoned villages and overgrown cottages. Thus The Tale of Iya is also a depiction of and time and way of life of the past, which might never come back.

Free for members of Studentersamfundet Filmklubb. A membership costs 100 NOK.