The Harimaya Bridge [HD]

A sensitive, respectful, and moving story
The Harimaya Bridge is an intelligent, sensitive film about people overcoming cultural differences.

Daniel Holder hates Japanese people because of an outcome of World War II that personally affected him. He is infuriated when his son Mickey accepts a teaching job in Japan. Then unexpectedly, while father and son are estranged, Mickey dies. Full of regrets and anger, Mr. Holder goes reluctantly to Japan to collect his son's belongings. There he learns that Mickey left behind a legacy as an accomplished artist and a beloved friend and teacher. Combined with the wisdom and compassion of two women he meets on his journey, this legacy helps Mr. Holder come to terms with his son's life choices, and with his own prejudice. "There are better, more important ways to identify with people than color of skin," says Noriko, Mickey Holder's widow. "That's what Mickey always said."

In the aftermath of the terrible earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, the whole world now...

A wonderful movie
I saw the movie at the National Geographic Film Festival in Washington last year without any knowledge about it. I thought it was wonderful in terms of story, acting, and understanding of cultures. I was sorry to see that the film never played in the US. I was so moved by it that I will buy the dvd and give it as holiday gifts; a first for me.

The Harimaya Bridge- The 1st Movie of Its Kind...
This movie 1st caught my attention when the local Japanese station (Channel 18.2 here in Southern CA) had commercials for its limited theater release in early 2010. This, being the 1st Japanese movie directed by a Black person quickly caught my eye as person of color myself.

Now that I'd seen it, I can say that The Harimaya Bridge is a very deep & emotional movie. It deals with issues that will limit its appeal to the American mainstream, but for those with an open mind, this is worth watching.

The movie's about Daniel Holder, a photographer with a strong hatred for the Japanese- mainly due to of the death of his father in a Japanese POW camp during WWII. But it wasn't just the death of his dad that created his hatred, but accounts of how he died. So when his son Mickey announced his plans to go there to teach English, father & son got into a heated debate which resulted in Daniel putting hands on his grown son. While living there, Mickey dies in an accident...

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