My Favorite Film, Harakiri(1962)

Harakiri(1962) is a film directed by the legendary Masaki Kobayashi. The film takes place in Japan’s Edo period, famous for its feudal lords, samurai, and strict social ideas of honor outlined in the newly developed Bushido Code. By this code, a warrior’s death is one by the blade, and that is where the crux of the story is situated. Harakiri, the film’s title, is the word used to define a ritualistic suicide committed by a samurai who cannot die in battle but must die honorably. The film is set in a time of peace, and many Ronin, or unemployed samurai, wander the countryside begging for appointments to the courts of feudal lords. The film’s plot is triggered when a young ronin is forced to commit Harakiri in the courtyard of the hardline, traditional Iyi Clan. The film deals with the ethics of this decision and frames this discussion in the context of post-war Japan’s increasing social conservatism. Kobayashi’s direction is phenomenal. His use of tension, non-linear storytelling, and foreshadowing are able to keep the audience guessing the whole film. The film has a slow burn to its plot, as testified by my girlfriend’s falling asleep twenty minutes in, but I find it as immediately gripping as any break-neck action film. What cannot be understated is the importance of cinematography in this film. Every shot is beautiful: a windswept hilltop with a Buddhist shrine in the distance, two skilled swordsman drawing their blades in unison, a fresh cut bleeds across a face filled with hatred, the empty interior of a samurai castle. The camera work is unique, varied, but formulated enough for a sense of continuity throughout the film. Another of my favorite elements is the score. The use of traditional Japanese instruments, for one, perfectly inserts the score into its setting. The score also serves to heighten the film’s tension: time signatures speed up rapidly as tension mounts, as dark secrets finally come to light. This film is a perfect example of direction, writing, and storytelling. Harakiri is a film that anyone who considers themselves interested in the movies should watch, and watch again for good measure.

-Nate