A Dedicated Life (1994)
Directed by Kazuo Hara
Genres - Language & Literature |
Sub-Genres - Biography |
Run Time - 147 min. |
Countries - Japan |
MPAA Rating - NR
Share on
Synopsis by Jonathan Crow
Master documentary filmmaker Kazuo Hara -- who gained international acclaim with his harrowing, compelling work Yuki Yukite Shingun -- directs this portrait of noted writer and literary figure Mitsuharu Inoue. Born in 1926 on the southern island of Kyushu, Inoue was a member of the Japanese Communist party while his book Chi no Mure was nominated for the highest literary prize in Japan. He was also a maddeningly complex person. On the one hand, he was revered by students and colleagues alike; on the other, he was an unrepentant womanizer and a bald-faced liar. While Hara catches him in a number of lies -- including one memorable story about his first love, a Korean lass who turned into a prostitute -- he never loses sympathy with his subject. As the film progresses, Inoue learns that he has terminal liver cancer.
Characteristics
Keywords
cancer, charisma, Communism, gigolo, politician, surgery