Cinema: The Harimaya Bridge

Aaron Woolfolk, a former Kochi ALT, has written and produced a film set in Japan called The Harimaya Bridge. It’s a moving story about overcoming deep prejudices using the motif of the Harimaya Bridge as a link between human hearts. As it was shot almost entirely in Kochi, you’re sure to recognize many places in the film. Opens in Kochi at Toho Cinemas (AEON) on Saturday 6th June. Entry ￥1300. Official Site: http://www.harimaya-bridge.jp/ Story 　　Daniel Holder (Bennet Guillory) is a San-Francisco photographer whose only son Micky (Victor Grant) leaves America to teach English in Kochi. Micky is a talented artist, but before a year has passed, he is killed in a tragic traffic accident. His mourning father is doubly haunted by the fact his father was killed by the Japanese army in WWII. With unconcealed hatred and outright prejudice, Daniel forces himself to come to Japan to collect his son’s paintings, which are scattered around Kochi. He meets Hara-sensei who treated Micky like a younger brother, and is warmly welcomed by Micky’s former workmates. Daniel’s view of Japan becomes complicated by seeing how much his son was adored in Kochi. 　　One day, he receives a picture from one of his son’s intellectually disabled students. This picture changes everything. He learns that his beloved son married a colleague called Noriko, and had a baby…

Please check other events on the Tosa Wave magazine.