The Twilight Samurai Film Review

Set in the mid 1800s northern Japan, the film fallows the life of low-level bureaucrat Seibi Iguchi. Iguchi is played by the talented actor Hiroyuki Sanada, who most students would recognize from The Wolverine and the most recent adaptation of 47 Ronin. The film begins shortly after Iguchi’s wife has died of consumption and it shows the struggles that he must endure raising his daughters, running his indebted estate and taking care of his mother who is increasingly losing her memory. Iguchi’s troubles only increase as his fellow bearcats continue to insult him for his unkempt style and his refusal to have a drink after work and need to go home which earns him the pejorative title “Twilight Samurai”.
The film is a great example of pre-Meiji Japan. It can be used to show the expectations of society in the days before the revolution. Of particular importance are the scenes of Iguchi’s embarrassment. Towards the beginning of the film, the local lord comes to pay a visit to the storehouse to inspect the food supplies. Iguchi’s stench and tattered clothing offends him. As a result, his great uncle pays him a visit to show his displeasure. These scenes illustrate key aspects of Japanese culture in terms of what was expected of men and women. The students would be able to compare this to modern culture and realize that it wasn’t all that different. In addition, the film also works well in showing students visuals of Japanese society. How the homes looked, clothing and gardens. All of these would be very useful when showing how Japanese culture used to be and how it is today.