The nominations for the Oscars were released this morning. I was pleased to see that my choice for the best film – Letters from Iwo Jima – received nominations for Best Motion Picture, Best Director (Clint Eastwood) and Best Original Screenplay. Letters from Iwo Jima shows the battle for Iwo Jima from the perspective of the losing side. The film is in Japanese, which is why it is somewhat unsual to receive the Best Picture nomination. The screenplay is gripping – showing the lead up to the American invasion and then the battle itself from the perspective of a simple (and reluctant) Japanese soldier (the character Saigo) and his interaction with General Kuribayashi (played by Ken Watanabe, who deserved an nomination for Best Actor).
Is Letters from Iwo Jima an anti-war film? Certainly not in the way Platoon was, but any film that depicts the realities of combat as Letters does is inherently anti-war. Letters from Iwo Jima shows the whole gamut of human warfare: heroism, cowardice, absurdity, honor, valor, brutal cruelty and compassion.
Breife aus Iwo Jima opens in German theaters on February 22.
Das Leben der Anderen (Lives of Others) was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film of 2006.
