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SLIFF 2010 Review: THE HARIMAYA BRIDGE – We Are Movie Geeks

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SLIFF 2010 Review: THE HARIMAYA BRIDGE

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THE HARIMAYA BRIDGE is an emotional drama that focuses on Daniel Holder (Ben Guillory), an American who travels to rural Japan to claim some important items belonging to his late son, Mickey Holder (Victor Grant), from whom he was estranged at the time of his death. While there, he learns several secrets his son left behind as an African-American artist living and teaching in Japan. The story takes place in Kochi Prefecture, a deeply rural part of Japan where traditional customs remain strong.

While still so angry by the thought that his own father died in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, Holder travels there to pickup Mickey’s paintings. He’s so blinded by this pent up anger that he plans to lay claim to his son’s artwork even though they were given as gifts to friends and a school. Daniel hesistanly meets his son’s Japanese wife, Noriko Kubo (Saki Takaoka), and slowly Holder begins to understand his son’s life in Japan. The movie poignantly addresses the bond and conflict between parent and child and how prejudices can still exist between people of different cultures. There are so many unexpected turns in this powerful film, that to tell you anything further would do you a disservice. Suffice to say, the film has many delightful and solemn surprises as Holder travels throughout this beautiful country while paradoxically serving as a tour guide of his own soul and a country entrenched in long-held beliefs.

THE HARIMAYA BRIDGE is Aaron Woolfolk’s first feature film.The character driven screenplay was written by Woolfolk, a veteran of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program who taught junior high school English in Kochi Prefecture and it certainly shows. He has such an endearing grasp on the people and culture of Japan. Woolfolk won a Directors Guild of America Best African-American Student Filmmaker award for his first movie, the short film RAGE! He then returned to Kochi to make the award winning short films BLACK SHEEP and THE STATION.

It’s really a well crafted movie, with many brilliant performances. Ben Guillory’s (THE COLOR PURPLE, DADDY’S LITTLE GIRLS) performance as a shattered father is extraordinary and intense. His portrayal of loss, rage and profound sadness permeates the screen. Someone needs to give this actor a big movie – stat. The Japanese actors Saki Takaoka, Misa Shimizu, Misono, Hajime Yamasaki, and Miho Shiraishi are all mesmerizing. Even actor Peter Coyote has an all too brief bit as a father who’s lost a child to illness. Danny Glover (LETHAL WEAPON) serves as an executive producer on the film and has a small part that doesn’t distract from the story or other actors.

Much needs to be lauded in the way of the film’s cinematography and score. The haunting music of Kazunori Maruyama and gorgeous photography of Masao Nakabori are lush, colorful and have a life of their own. The vivid scenes of Japan and its people are so rich. The intense score impacts all the scenes throughout the film in a positive way. As both accompany the film to its ultimate conclusion, THE HARIMAYA BRIDGE is a movie that gains real energy the more the viewer starts to realize what’s really happened. It unfolds with such clarity of mind that I must praise Woolfolk’s direction that left this reviewer overwhelmed by the touching tale of redemption and forgiveness.

THE HARIMAYA BRIDGE will play during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival on Saturday, November 20th and Sunday, November 21st at 1:00 pm at the Plaza Frontenac Theatre.

The film is sponsored by Japan America Society St. Louis, Consulate General of Japan at Chicago, and Japan America Society Women’s Association

Huge passion for film scores, lives for the Academy Awards, loves movie trailers. That is all.