Village of Dreams

Running time: N/A

Rural, post World War II Japan. Twin boys Yukihiko and Seizo greet the world each day with a sense of wonder and brash self-confidence that the adults in their village cannot appreciate nor understand. Possessed of an artistic temperament and a spirited talent for drawing, the boys approach each day as though it were some grand adventure, not merely time to be passed; no matter if the day consists of fishing at the creek or a seemingly mundane day at school. Unlike their grown-up counterparts, they are infinitely capable of discovering the fascinating in the ordinary, the magic of the universe in simple small details. They are blissfully in tune with their surroundings, at ease with themselves, as limber as the trees that bend in the breeze. Using painterly camera compositions, reminiscent of Japanese rice paintings, Village Of Dreams enters through the eyes and settles warmly into the heart. Yet thankfully, the film contrives no drama, concentrating instead on the bright reality of young and innocent boys surfacing from the darkness of history. Wonderfully restrained in its sentimentality, yet filled with emotion, Village Of Dreams (Winner of the Silver Bear Award at the 1996 Berlin Film Festival) takes us into a fantastic, yet very believable world. It is a rich and colorful portrait, with finely etched details that comprise a sincere and heartfelt whole. --Pete Crane