Since the birth of the film, there is a kind of theme that has endured for a long time, and that is World War II. I like this genre, especially when the time spans before and after the war. The changes in the characters' situations in the film make people sigh. Those Nazis who used to call themselves noble and mighty, but after the war they hid in Tibet, panicking like lost dogs. Every time I see this place, I always feel a sense of revenge. I don't know if this mentality is healthy, but I think there are very few absolutely rational people in this world, so I can feel at ease.
Much of the WWII movies are macro narratives, focusing on a single historical event. However, what I prefer is the type that talks about the situation of small people in a big historical environment, such as "Black Book" and "Book Thief". The causes and consequences of history are often hidden in those tiny details. From the perspective of ordinary people, a clearer background can be seen.
I saw an American movie today: "Little Boy" and I like it very much. I have learned the relevant historical background of the film before, so I am very interested.
After the Pearl Harbor incident, the Japanese living in the United States were hated by the government and the people, and they were also detained and expelled by the government. Some second-generation Japanese immigrants, in order to show their loyalty to the United States, voluntarily joined the U.S. military, fought against the Central China, and fought extremely bravely. The film partially restores this history, and it has a deeper experience than reading cold documents.
The story takes place in a beautiful seaside town, I guess the west coast. Because I checked the relevant information, there were hundreds of thousands of Japanese immigrants in the United States during World War II, and most of them lived on the West Coast. The protagonist Pep suffers from short stature since childhood, and his height has not changed much in a few years. He is discriminated against by his peers and dubbed a dwarf.
Pep has a kind father and they get on well and are close. Father did not have the majesty of elders, but more like Pep's friend. He often tells Pep superhero stories, takes Pep to magic shows, and Pep calls his father his "partner". Every once in a while, the father takes Pep to Dr. Fox to diagnose whether his son has short stature. The doctor can't give a positive answer every time, only that Pep is a "little boy". Gradually, the title Little Boy spread throughout the town, and people were used to calling Pep that.
The little boy's older brother, London, is a youth in rebellion. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, his father and London realize that the family has to send someone to join the army. It may be that he is naturally brave, and his brother London has great enthusiasm for the battlefield, but the reality poured cold water on him, and he failed to pass the inspection to join the army because he has flat feet.
In this way, the burden of enlistment fell on his father James. Father was assigned to the Philippine battlefield, while London stayed in his hometown and continued to take care of the family's auto repair shop. Pep used to go to magic shows with his father, but now he has to go alone. Pep's short stature, some children of the same age would bully him because of this. They drove Pep into the alley and punched and kicked him. Pep was helpless, so he didn't dare to fight back. It was obvious that their bullying of Pep seemed to be the norm.
After the Pearl Harbor incident, more than 100,000 Japanese immigrants were collectively detained in settlements with harsh living conditions. The government only released it after repeatedly confirming that they were not a threat. Although they were freed, they were banished, and some threatened to banish them to isolated places and let them fend for themselves. As the war intensified, many white people lost their close relatives at the hands of the Japanese, which naturally deepened their hatred, and the wave of anti-Japanese was even higher.
One day, an officer came to the little boy's home to report that their father had been captured. Hearing the news, the family fell into silence. Although we have been mentally prepared to deal with all kinds of possibilities, but after the event really happened, it was still difficult for everyone to accept it for a while. Fortunately, my father is still alive, but whether he can return safely is still unknown.
The outside world is filled with smoke, but the town is still as calm as ever. Days passed, and the family couldn't wait for the news of his father's return. Brother London was shaken a little bit, and he forced himself to accept the reality that his father might have died.
In the outskirts of the town far away from the town center, there lives a Japanese Hashimoto who immigrated to the United States for 40 years. Before the war broke out, he was supposed to get along with the people in the town, but the Pearl Harbor incident completely changed his situation. He was suddenly discriminated against in the town. Whenever he entered a public place, such as a shop or restaurant, he would always be greeted with strange eyes from all directions, and of course most of them were unfriendly. What's more, he directly warned him to leave quickly. At this time, Hashimoto always did not argue, but silently endured and left alone.
Whenever I see a scene like this, I can't help but feel uncomfortable. I had the same feeling when I watched "Green Book" before. In the movie, the black protagonist was discriminated against in the South, but every time he swallowed his voice, the only time the driver helped to resist, and as a result, he was imprisoned in the police station together. This kind of plot made me full of disgust for people with prejudice. An innocent individual is besieged by a collective, he has no strength to resist, and can only choose to give in to avoid greater harm. This is the cruelty of life.
Among all the people in the town, only the priest and Hashimoto maintained a friendship. Whenever the residents of the town deliberately made things difficult for Hashimoto, the priest always stopped him. The priest is quite popular in the town, and in view of this relationship, everyone will not go too far.
However, the movie is not reality after all. In real history, the bullying suffered by Japanese residents is far worse than that suffered by Hashimoto. Shops run by Japanese were forced to open, they were beaten while walking on the street, their valuables were extorted by officials when they were detained, and so on. Surprisingly, most of them did not resist these acts that clearly violated their rights, but continued to self-reflect and tried their best to prove their loyalty.
Because his father was captured by the Japanese, London also became a part of Hashimoto's hatred. On a dark and windy night, he and Pep sneaked into the neighborhood of Hashimoto's house without a sound. Hashimoto's home is far from the center of town, and I don't know if that means it was hard for him to really integrate into white society in the past. Pep threw a stone at the window of Hashimoto's house, while London lit a homemade Molotov cocktail. However, because London has flat feet, he unfortunately fell while throwing and the bottle fell on the grass, causing a small fire. The two brothers fled quickly. Fortunately, the fire was found and extinguished in time. Hashimoto and his house were safe and sound, while London was sent to the town's detention center.
Although London has given up any hope of his father's return, Pep and his mother have not given up waiting. Fox, a doctor who once examined Pep's health, often visited their house and cared about Pep's mother. Fox, who is also raising his son alone, apparently coveted Pep's mother's beauty. However, Pep's mother was convinced that her husband would come back, so she politely declined each time.
Pep finds the priest and asks him how to get his father home. The priest gave him a wish list and said that as long as the things on the list were completed, his father would come back.
The wish list given by the priest is all acts of kindness, such as food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, clothes for the naked, and so on. The priest also added one thing in particular, and that is to be friends with Hashimoto.
Being friends with Hashimoto is a bit embarrassing for Pep, but for his father, he can only aggrieve himself. Pep reaches out to Hashimoto and apologizes for breaking the window. After his repeated requests, Hashimoto agreed to be his friend. After the two get to know each other, Pep finds out that Hashimoto isn't that annoying. Hashimoto is friendly, mild-mannered and understanding, and often talks to Pep.
Pep invited Hashimoto to be a guest at his house. The moment he opened the door, his mother was a little surprised. Pep hurriedly revealed that Hashimoto was his friend, and his mother was relieved. It seems that not everyone in the town is prejudiced, but some people choose to be silent about the evil deeds, leaving the perpetrators unscrupulous.
The meal did not go well and the happy atmosphere was broken by the arrival of my brother London. It turned out that, after the dredging of the doctor Fox, London was able to get out of the detention center ahead of schedule. This may also be a way Fox wants to win the favor of Pep's mother. When London saw Hashimoto at home, his expression suddenly became serious. He walked out the door without saying a word, got a shotgun from somewhere, pointed it at Hashimoto, and yelled at him to get out.
The dinner party broke up.
The little boy and his mother have a big fight with London, Pep thinks London is going too far, and London is angry that Pep has invited the "father murderer" to the house. The mother yelled at London for not allowing him to say that his father was dead, but London blamed the mother for her unwillingness to recognize the reality.
As the war raged, Hashimoto's situation in town went from bad to worse, where he would be driven away by angry crowds while eating outside restaurants. Someone even threatened Hashimoto to move out within a week, otherwise he would look good. In the face of pressure, Hashimoto did not leave, but silently endured and continued his life. Even though some of the townspeople are moving away from Hashimoto, the little boy stays close to him and keeps trying to maintain his dignity.
The plot of the first half is roughly like this. As for whether the father James will come back, and whether everyone's views on Hashimoto will change, it is up to the readers to find the answers themselves. What I saw in the movie was more of how the Japanese-Americans were treated unfairly.
This can be regarded as a disgraceful history of the United States in the history of World War II. No matter how democratic and free the United States is now, this account cannot be erased. Despite four hundred years of democratic experience, ordinary people still cannot view certain things objectively, and populism will still emerge. What is even more sad is that even the upper elite will agree to the introduction of a bill to deport and imprison Japanese immigrants. I have to say that this is very sad.
But fortunately, this history can be photographed by the Americans themselves, and reflected from the perspective of future generations. It can be regarded as a kind of progress. May mankind never turn back on the way forward.
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