A True (and Absurdist) Tale of Survival During the Battle of Okinawa
Sneak Preview Screening: "Army on the Tree"
followed by a Q&A with director Kazuhiro Taira and actor Yuki Yamada
Monday, July 7 at 6:00 pm
In Japanese with English subtitles
Japan, 2025 116 minutes
Written and directed by: Kazuhiro Taira,
based on the play by Komatsuza, with an original concept by Hisashi Inoue
Produced by: Masahiro Yokozawa, Keisuke Konishi, Maya Inoue, Kengo Oshiro
Starring: Shinichi Tsutsumi, Yuki Yamada, Ryuto Tsuha, Keiji Tamayose,
Shogen, Atsushi Yamanishi
Film courtesy of Happinet Phantom Studios
Inspired by an almost unbelievable true story, "Army on the Tree" follows two Japanese soldiers who escape heavy fighting by climbing into a banyan tree during the final days of WWII - only to remain hidden there for two years awaiting reinforcements, unaware that the war has ended.
Set on Ie Island during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa, the film is an adaptation of the legendary Komatsuza stage play originally envisioned by acclaimed playwright and author Hisashi Inoue. Reimagined by Okinawan filmmaker Kazuhiro Taira in his sophomore feature to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Pacific War, the narrative is a haunting, human-scale allegory of national trauma. But it is told with humor, pathos and nuanced sentiment.
When by-the-book Lieutenant Kazuo Yamashita (Tsutsumi), who's been dispatched from Miyazaki as US forces begin their attack on Okinawa, and Seijun Agena (Yamada), a local Okinawan conscript full of naïve warmth and optimism, are caught in enemy fire, they take cover in a large banyan tree. And there they stay, out of fear and an exaggerated devotion to duty, climbing down only to forage for food. Though separated by rank and worldview, the two gradually find themselves united in their absurd isolation, clinging to survival in the canopy above a war-scarred land.
Shot entirely in Okinawa - including in a specially planted banyan tree on Ie Island - the film grounds its surreal premise in the living memories of the actual survivors. Taira's script draws directly from interviews with the families of the two soldiers on whom the story is based, capturing the quiet desperation and resilience of those left in war's shadow.
Please join us for this sneak preview of "Army on the Tree," a rare portrait of courage, absurdity, and the enduring scars of history ahead of the film's Japan release on July 25.
For more (in Japanese): https://happinet-phantom.com/kinouenoguntai/
Writer-director KAZUHIRO TAIRA was born in Okinawa and formed the filmmaking collective Project9 while still a university student. He went on to direct a number of independent films that are set in Okinawa, including "Anboina ja Korosenai" (2014), "Kugiuchi no Ballad" (2016) and the TV drama "Panauru Oukoku Monogatari" (2020) which won the Best TV Drama prize at the JBA Awards. In 2022, his "Miracle City Goza" was selected for the MI CAN Award, given to newly discovered creators. A film that he co-directed with Yukihiko Tsutsui, "Step Out," will also be released this year.
Actor YUKI YAMADA made his screen debut in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger series in 2011 and immediately became one of Japan's most versatile and sought-after actors, with credits including prominent roles in the popular "Tokyo Revengers," "High & Low" and "Kingdom" series. Other recent highlights include "Wilderness" (2017), "You Are the Apple of My Eye" (2018), "Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai" (2021), "Nighttime Warbles" (2022), "The Last 10 Years" (2022) and "Godzilla Minus One" (2023). In 2024, he won the 47th Japan Academy Award for Most Popular Actor.
Please make your reservations at the FCCJ Reception Desk 03 3211-3161 or register online.
All film screenings are private, noncommercial events primarily for FCCJ members and their guests.
- Karen Severns, Film Committee