Yoji Yamada :

Tasogare Seibei / Twilight Samurai

Starring:
Hiroyuki Sanada - Seibei Iguchi
Rie Miyazawa - Tomoe Iinuma
Nenji Kobayashi - Choubei Kusaka
Ren Osugi - Toyotarou Kouda
Mitsuru Fukikoshi - Michinojo Iinuma
Hiroshi Kanbe - Naota
Miki Itô - Kayana Iguchi
Erina Hashiguchi - Ito Iguchi
Reiko Kusamura - Iguchi's Mother

Directed by: Yoji Yamada
Music by: Yousui Inoue (theme song "Kimerareta Rizumu")
and Isao Tomita

Japan 2002

Nominated for Oscar

Tasogare Seibei is a story of Seibei Iguchi (Hiroyuki Sanada). Iguchi, called "twilight samurai" by his samurai comrades, appreciates his ordinary life and wants to be away from fame and spotlights. His life is hard. His wife passed away, his mother has gone senile, and he must support his two children. And it is hard to get income those days. Not only spending his free time farming, he also builds insect cages to get by. He got name "twilight samurai" because he never went to drink and have fun with his colleagues in work - instead he goes home to see his family everyday by twilight.

Then, his old love, lovely Tomoe Iinuma appears, a sister of his friend. And while old love stars to sparkle, life brings new challenges to his life.

The movie happens in times of famine and hardship in Japan, just before meiji restoration. This is before the time described in The Last Samurai. Hiroyuki Sanada does proper job on both ones. This is however, without a question more proper and realistic movie.

I really like this movie. There is a wonderful simplicity and modesty in this film, something very Japanese. All characters feel real and there is mature appeal to the story. Iguchi Seibei's character is just perfectly rough, his clothes are most of the time broken and dirty which adds nicely to the realism.

I bet samurai's life wasn't an fascinating epic battle after another, but most of the time really daily and rough. Iguchi is a man who respects his family and his children. He loves watching his daughters grow, as he said "like crops riping in the fields". He takes care of his mother, and even his assistant, a little simple man called Naota.

Rie Miyazawa's performance was great as fantastic Tomoe Iinuma. She is caring and calm and gentle.

Hiroyuki Sanada became my favorite actor after seeing him in Tasogare Seibei.

Tasogare Seibei got nominated for oscar of Best Foreign Language Film. Hurrah, Yamada Yoji!

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