14 Aug 2016

As part of celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Botswana’s independence and also the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Botswana and Japan, the Japanese Embassy recently opened the 8^th Japan Film Festival, with a film The Letter showing this week at New Capitol Cinemas, Riverwalk.

In his opening remarks, the ambassador of Japan, Masahiro Onishi said they were proud to present the 8^th annual festival this year as it was also an opportunity for Botswana to celebrate its national anniversary.

“I believe that films are influential tools for viewers to get various information and understand different culture and lifestyle. 

Every element in films enables you to gain more knowledge about other culture or the country, not only through the storyline or characters in them but also the background of the films such as fashion, scenery, customs and music,” he said.

He said through the film, his hope was that the viewers will be able to observe and experience Japan and that they will be able to identify similarities and differences between the cultures.

Onishi said relations between countries are to be established based on not only political and economic partnerships, adding that cultural exchange was another significant factor to deepen mutual understanding.

“I hope you will enjoy the film tonight and it will be the mar of friendship between Botswana and Japan”, he said.

The letter is a 2006 film, which takes 121 minutes. 

It features actors, Tsuyoshi and Naoki, the two brothers who have always looked out for each other since they lost their parents.

When older brother Tsuyoshi becomes unemployed, he was driven to commit a robbery in order to help Naoki with his university tuition fees, of which, he accidentally murders a housewife. 

Naoki then undergoes a rough life, tremendous suffering as the brother of a murderer, and thereby begins to despise his sibling for the trouble he caused, as he faces discrimination of people fearing to associate with him.

This is a beautiful and tear-jerking social portrait of the offender’s family, which  shows the toll, what the act of murder can have on the lives of those surrounding the perpetrator. 

It is based on a novel of the same title by the best-selling writer Keigo Higashino. ENDS