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This Country's Sky

Name: This Country's Sky
Director: Haruhiko Arai
Released: 2015
Duration: 130 min

Representation Score

4.4/10

Fair

2015

Director

Haruhiko Arai

Runtime

130 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

This historical drama shifts the focus to the female experience and domestic survival during the air raids of 1945 Tokyo. By centering on Satoko and her mother, the film avoids traditional male-centric war narratives. However, the film's historical setting limits its racial and LGBTQ+ diversity. The cast remains culturally homogeneous, reflecting the specific context of suburban Japan. While the film successfully portrays the strength of women in wartime, it lacks multi-layered character arcs for greater diversity.

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Category Breakdown

Does This Country's Sky have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The story focuses on Satoko's attraction to a local man, with no visible depiction of non-straight relationships or identities.

How does This Country's Sky portray gender?

Fair

The film highlights the resilience of Satoko and her mother, shifting the wartime perspective from the battlefield to the domestic struggle for survival.

How racially and ethnically diverse is This Country's Sky?

Limited

Set in suburban Tokyo, the cast reflects a culturally homogeneous Japanese population with no significant racial diversity among the characters.

How does This Country's Sky represent religion and culture?

Good

The film presents a pragmatic view of familial structures and wartime hardships, avoiding romanticized nationalism and focusing on the harsh realities of survival.

Does This Country's Sky include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no characters with visible or invisible disabilities mentioned in the narrative.

Present on Screen

Highlights the female experience and ability to act during systemic collapse.
Offers a realistic, non-romanticized view of wartime survival and hardship.
Shifts the war narrative from the battlefield to the domestic sphere.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-traditional character arcs.
Features a culturally homogeneous cast with minimal racial diversity.
Does not address disability or diverse physical experiences.

Official Synopsis

In suburban Tokyo in 1945, years of war and concentrated air raids by US forces have left the city in tatters and the population poor, tired, and hungry. The 19-year-old Satoko and her mother bide their time working nominal jobs and trying to stave off hunger. A displaced aunt turns up looking for shelter, but she is just another hungry mouth to feed. Satoko is becoming a woman and is drawn to the only eligible man in the neighborhood. This is a decidedly quiet film that focuses on a single character and her survival in dire circumstances in the spring of her life.

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