‘In This Corner of The World’: Finding the will to live in wartime

When ordinary circumstances become extraordinarily dire, courage and strength can emerge from even the most unexpected places. This powerful message is the central theme of “In this Corner of the World,” a beautifully rendered animated feature from acclaimed anime director Sunao Katabuchi.

War: What is it good for?

Set in Japan during the 1930s-1940s, “In this Corner of the World” tells the moving story of Suzu Urano and her husband Shusaku, whose plans of quietly enjoying a peaceful married life in a small port town end up being disrupted by the devastating events that led to World War II.

As Suzu struggles to maintain some semblance of a normal life in a war-torn town, she is forced to face challenge after challenge—including the departure of her husband to fight in the Japanese army—with only her faith, inner strength, and will to survive.

Perhaps more than anything else, “In this Corner of the World” focuses on how ordinary citizens persevered and carried on with their lives—or at least, did their best to—as their nation took part in World War II.

In fact, one could argue that this film sends a timely message. As the people of the world today are torn apart by violence, discrimination, lies, and hatred, it’s films like “In this Corner of the World” that serve as sources of hope and inspiration.

A crowdfunded journey from manga to movie

“In this Corner of the World” is based on the award-winning manga “Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni” by Fumiyo Kono. A crowdfunding project launched upon the adaptation’s announcement in August 2012 was wildly successful, exceeding its ¥20-million target. The film quickly went into development, with Katabuchi conducting tremendous amounts of research and meticulously adding details to ensure the film’s accuracy and authenticity.

In 2016,  “In this Corner of the World” won the Best Film award at the 38th Yokohama Film Festival, as well as the Hiroshima Peace Film Award at the 3rd Hiroshima International Film Festival. This year, it raked in a considerable number of awards from various film festivals and award-giving bodies, including the 71st Mainichi Film Awards, the 40th Japan Academy Prize, and the Osaka Cinema Festival 2017. — BM/KVD, GMA News

“In this Corner of the World” is now showing in cinemas.