Picture Bride

"Picture Bride" Director: Kayo Hatta
The film Picture Bride is based on a time where matchmaking in Japan reached a its global zenith through photography. This film explores the lives of female Japanese immigrants at the end of World War I. It is a microcosm of history, in which women are at the fore of the story. As a whole the films protagonist is a woman like most lower class females without many options. Always the most suitable option is marriage. Riyo’ marriage seemed far from ideal due to the fact that her husband was 43 years old.
As a whole this film is suitable for an American history class because it demonstrates how immigrants are treated, in particular women. The female struggle is often overlooked and never really discussed in middle school. This film offers perspectives in which students might not otherwise be exposed to. We can also make the connection between the sharecroppers of the south and even go back as far as indentured servants. However, the only issue is the mild nudity that might otherwise raise some issues for some parents.
edited by ebonilla on 1/6/2016