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Not to be confused with the 1984 comedy by Juzo Itami, this black-and-white docudrama (with some color footage) explores the effect Japan's repressive feudal attitudes had in bringing about the suicide of a boy many years before. It combines dramatic re-enactments of moments in the boy's life using actual family members, with recollections by those same family members. The director, Fumiki Watanabe, was the boy's schoolteacher at the time of his death and plays himself. Since then, Watanabe has gone on to become a leading figure in Japanese avant-garde cinema.