In the early stage of the Meiji Restoration in Japan, that is, the end of the feudal shogunate era, the social structure was still traditionally divided into social classes on the surface. But people's behavior and views have begun to change, including the samurai who were supposed to be the loyal guardians of the ruling class.
The samurai in Twilight are no longer loyal to the "Way" of samurai. Some people indulge in pleasure, others focus on family and love, such as our hero Kiyobei. In order to bury his deceased wife, he even sold his sword and made a wooden sword. It seems that the duel with Pengjiang's ex-husband with a wooden stick is not a big one, it is really a sword. Is this black humor? My director Yamada. All in all, this impressive detail tells the audience that no one takes "samurai" status seriously anymore, and times have changed.
No matter how superb the swordsmanship is, the little people still can't break free from their fate. Despite his reluctance, Qingbingwei still had to work for his master, and he might win once or twice, or even ten or eight times, but in the end he became cannon fodder. The audience will think, it is a pity that he is a good martial artist, if he stands in the ranks of the reformists, it must be so. Maybe this is called character determines fate. But from the perspective of his daughter, Qingbingwei's short life is successful, because family and love are the most precious in such a world. When I saw this monologue at the end of the film, I didn't take it seriously, but when I think about it now, I seem to have an epiphany. Some truths are so easy to understand that they are ignored. Thanks Qingbingwei.
View more about The Twilight Samurai reviews
