Feelings of guilt and morals After watching the film for a long time doubted what is still worth writing to convey your feelings from watching. If possible, make other viewers interested. After all, in general, the film in a series of such dramatic things, quite ordinary.
Careful, there are moderate spoilers in the text.
This is another drama in human relationships. Some events are almost absent, the main thing is a tie. The rest is a very meticulous study under the microscope of people's feelings and thoughts.
In the center of the picture is a story that happened in an ordinary Japanese school. The company of teenagers, his rash requests to take something (consider stealing) from the store literally brings a trouble-free boy to a suicide attempt. It is possible that at that moment the students do not even realize how the boy will react to the situation in the future. Perhaps because of a lack of insight. After this story, the victim is transferred to another school, and the case becomes public. Even a photo of a suicide note is printed in the newspaper. The only thing that is hidden are the names of those whom the boy points to as abusers in the first place. Motives are not obvious. But everyone around them thinks that both the children and the teacher should be punished, only what? This is followed by a small spoiler (italics).
At the insistence of the school's management, children write.. essays. Yeah, yeah. For everyone, the standard format is set – five pages to pour out feelings, repent. The entire class is punished, because the names of the “abuses” are not publicly disclosed. A finely thought out, but not so cruel punishment. However, it is not easy for many.
After this unpleasant story, the class leader of the children goes on vacation for an indefinite time, and another teacher comes to the school temporarily (a hero who was skillfully played by Hiroshi Abe). Shy, with an open clear look, a very bright image that somewhere borders on holiness. It’s as if he’s gone through a lot of hardships, and he’s come back from his inner, local purgatory. And he stutters. And immediately becomes the object of ridicule in the class. And not just the way you speak. The first thing the new teacher does is to return the desk of the victim (Nobuchi) from the pantry to the classroom and greet the desk every day. It's as if the student actually went back to the old school and sat at this desk. Perhaps their protest children only demonstrate some hidden aggression. But why? After all, the case of their classmate has long been hushed up, the letters of “repentance” are written? Does everyone have to let go of the situation? This is the main point.
Throughout the film, the new teacher continues to talk. Open about the meaning of sincere words. And internal, reflecting on what happened. Perhaps it is not by chance that he is so worried about children, as if he understands what parents and teachers do not understand. But what exactly?
Until the end of the film, the authors persistently draw the attention of the audience to the unfortunate suicide note, which should indicate the main culprits of the incident. What is this message hiding?
There are actually two main characters in the film. And they are very clearly marked in the first scenes of the film. This is a new teacher who is going to his first lesson in a new school. And his pupil from the ill-fated class, who seems to blame himself more than anyone else for what happened. It's (spoiler)
Obviously also because the imagination constantly paints this boy a picture of suicide, how he imagines a dialogue with a friend who decided on a fatal act.
It is to this student that the hero Abe turns constantly, as if in search of support, when he tries to reach out to the children.
Actually, as it becomes obvious from the beginning, the main problem that the picture poses is guilt. But the Japanese are digging very, very deep. Then simply dissect the feelings of those who experience it. It is more important to the authors how to deal with it. Simple moral laws here are powerless and only lead away from solving the problem.
Christian morality is the most applicable in this situation. But if interpreted primitively, it can lead to a dead end. Because the one who professes it first tries to cut off the connection with the past. The invisible effect of the grace of God [in repentance] is that the repentant, with the visible witness of forgiveness from the priest, is invisibly resolved from sins by Jesus Christ Himself. As a result, the confessor is reconciled with God, the Church and his own conscience and is released from punishment for confessed sins in eternity.
Repented, forgiven. It is believed that the very fact of repentance should lead to purification. But that's far from it. Realizing this, the new teacher continues to appeal to the feelings of the children. Is he trying to save them from the biggest mistake of their lives? What could be worse than what has already been done? Probably, how will a person evaluate his action, what will he take, even if nothing can be done about the victim himself? And if forgiveness from the victim is no longer possible? And what if the abuser himself realizes that the victim will never be able to forgive him?
The mere fact that these and other questions become apparent when watching the film, without direct reference to them, suggests that it is made masterfully. They're good. Very revealing at the same time the first scene, which is literally shot from the textbook. When we see everything in the frame for a long time (and a book in the hands, and a walking person, and details of clothes), but we do not see the face. Who will remember the first scene of “Schindler’s Psyches” as an example?
In general, it has always amazed the Asians (not only the Japanese) the ability to pull a picture built on only one event and its evaluation. When nothing happens, and the film keeps in tension for an hour.
Maybe I'm a bad bibliophile or I don't know much about cinema. But it is this detailed and purposeful interpretation of guilt and the emotional experiences associated with it that I have encountered more often in Asian works. There are many analogies. And "Northern Canaries" and, something essentially similar to "Canaries" animated film "Unprecedented Flower". But even there, unlike the Blue Bird, the very fact of reconciliation of a group of guys who accuse themselves of something is important. After many years, it turns out that people live with guilt. And then the chain of circumstances lets them reveal their feelings. The very validity of such feelings is studied.
It was in the wake of these analogies that the movie Blue Bird struck me as something special. Unique even. It answers the question of what happens when guilt becomes apparent. And is it worth trying to let go of this feeling, will it not provoke new spiritual trials?