Shadow of Fire

Tsukamoto Shinya’s war trilogy concludes with Shadow of Fire. Strikingly minimalist in its aesthetics, the film continues Tsukamoto’s ruminations on the frailty of the human body, mind and soul.

World War II has just ended. In a ruin that was once a diner, a woman forced into sex work, a small boy and a soldier meet. While the world around them transitions from terror to dismay these three survivors, each carrying their own set of scars, are looking for safety. A chamber drama that segues into a road movie of sorts, the film explores a new reality: where the coming of age of the nation is anchored to the coming of a young boy. 

Sharing a strong anti-war message observed in Fires on the Plain (IFFR 2014) and Killing (IFFR 2018). Shadow of Fire is a grim, candidly realistic and moving drama. Intimate and impressive, the film debates the capacity of humans to regain their humanity when faced with the unimaginable. Whilst cementing Tsukamoto’s place as a master of horror.

– kijA