Saw I Was Born, But… It was a fairly cute film about two kid brothers whose family moves into a suburb. There, there's a new school and bullies to contend with as well as, most troublingly, their father's boss's kid. The film is silent and mostly follows the kids, however we dip into their father's life here and there a little. It's very cute and observational.
The film felt a little staid to me, but I often struggle a little with silent films. There's something about the sound of the actor's voice that allows me to connect and enter into the film a little more easily. That said, this film reminded me a lot of the Sazae-san comic strip, or My Neighbors the Yamadas, mostly concerned with the small foibles of small domesticity. The dramatic climax of the film however is quite serious. It's handled with a somewhat light touch but is a portrayal of a significant familial earthquake. I was surprised it got that serious, but it makes the rest of the proceedings feel all the sweeter in contrast.
Other surprising elements: we see the boys performing military drills at school and hear that they dream of becoming great generals. This film was prior to Japan's de-militarization and it's strange to see it. We also get to see a film-within-the-film in the form of some home movies. Their father is made to look a little foolish in these home movies, which upsets the boys, however this film (ie: I Was Born, But …) has been making everyone look a little silly the whole time, so there's an interesting thought to think about fiction vs reality, about observing vs living an experience.
So, it was an okay film. It was a little dry, a little precious, but sweet and not difficult and from a culture which is different enough to my own to be interesting. I wouldn't recommend it highly, but I've seen worse.
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