Under the Flag of the Rising Sun

deconstructively explores one of the darkest chapters in the country's history. It showcases the horrors of war experienced in World War II, and its psychological, moral, and social consequences. The film begins with an investigative narrative, where a widow looking to clear his dead husband's name as traitor, as she meets more war survivors to understand what really happened with him, they narrate multiple incidents which unravels the shocking reality of war. Film instead of focusing on battles or heroism like other movies. It focuses on a human experience and the relentless effort to discover the truth. The film has a non-linear and multi-layered structure. Using a style reminiscent of Kurosawa's Rashomon, the director weaves the narrative through the testimonies of various individuals. This fragmented narrative not only adds to the film's formal appeal, but also engages the audience's mind in the game of truth and lies and the role of official history in cleaning up the face of war. The themes of the film are masterfully complex. Beyond a personal loss, it also reinterprets the morality of war, who is the murderer? who is the hero? And, more fundamentally, how meaningless all this violence war is? And what we gain out of this? Technically, the film makes remarkable use of the dual visual format. The simultaneous use of black and white and color format emphasizes the distinction between present and past, reality and fantasy. Also, the rapid montage and sudden cuts of the image in the battle scenes, with documentary-like frames in the scenes of war memories, create a contrast that reinforces the sense of horror and suspense.