This "Sun" Shines

Hirohito was a mysterious man whose personal life was shrouded even from the people he reigned over. To many he was above human, even a deity. With "The Sun (Solntse)", Alexander Sokurov has made the first film that attempts to depict the Emperor in personal detail, focusing on the events that led up to his declaration of surrender in World War II and the renunciation of his divine status.

Hirohito is portrayed by Issey Ogata. It is hard to decide whether he is an accurate choice because of our lack of knowledge of the man. Hirohito is portrayed as a man who is treated as a god and he appears to be untouched by what the "common" man must endure, even to the point of having people dressing him and feeding him. Ogata's major affect is to show his lips often moving without words coming out. It leaves one confused as to what is really going on with him. The best guess is that it is a tic. 

The film is extremely slow-moving but does not suffer as a result. Sokurov has created a painting that is alive. It is dimly lit, often bathed in an orange hue. Every scene is deliberate and exact except when Sokurov drifts into dreamlike moments that display the war in partially abstract scenes. It reminded me of how Hitchcock used Dali paintings in "Spellbound", although in that case it was used to help solve a mystery. The overall effect is often reminiscent of science fiction of the early 1960s.

"The Sun" transitions when Hirohito leaves the confines of his very insulated world and finds himself face-to-face with American troops that have taken over the area around his palace. Dark and orange hues are replaced by the light of the outside world. Military photographers call him Charlie and yell for him to pose for their photos. He has never been treated with such disrespect before yet he loves it. He is an ordinary man and he revels in this newfound reality. By the end, Hirohito displays a childlike quality at his exposure to the outside world that makes him quite endearing.

Alexander Sokurov is not well known here and probably never will be, outside of hardcore foreign film fans. He is a gifted director and Ogata gives a nuanced and effective performance. If you think you might like "The Sun", you will. If you think otherwise, you probably won't. This "Sun" shined for me.