山歌

Set in 1965, the story introduces us to student Norio. He is coming back to his native town to prepare for high school examination. His father has a great say in making decisions on the development of the town and local landscape. He projects his ambitions into his son and wants to be his only role model. By accident, Norio meets girl Hana who steals their sweet potatoes. Her boldness and wildness are so different from the world in which he has to live and be a diligent student. He also meets her father and grandmother. They are nomads who travel for various jobs. They spend the summer in the mountains, and relocate to the lowlands for the winter, offering their skills and labour to make their living. Norio is attracted to the idea of escaping to the wilderness and living without rules. What he cannot see is the poverty and contempt the nomads face, as well as the fact that this ‘nation’ is disappearing slowly. Director Sasatani juxtaposes the unrestrained and free nature with the industrial development and economic growth of the entire post-war Japan, to which nature has had to give way. The sanka people virtually disappeared from society in the 1970s. (Eiga-sai)