Unbroken, a film directed by actress Angelina Jolie, has attracted intense public attention this year — the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The movie is based on the novel about the life of Louis Zamperini, a US Olympic athlete who became a prisoner of war during World War II and spent about two years in Japanese POW camps. The movie, released in the United States last year, was released in China last week, and observers believe it may heighten anti-Japan sentiment in China.

But Jolie said the film is not an anti-Japanese movie, but a story about forgiveness. She stressed this in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun, made via an exchange of letters.

Q. This year marks the 70th year since the end of World War II. Did you time the film’s release to coincide with this anniversary?

A. The link is pure coincidence. It takes several years to make any film. My personal view is that we should mark these anniversaries in a way that brings people from different countries closer together. In the case of our two countries, we should celebrate 70 years of peace and progress, and a deep friendship that binds our two countries.

Q. How did you approach the delicate decision on how to depict the brutality of Japanese soldiers?

A. I very much saw Corporal [who mistreats the main character] as an individual, not as someone who represented the Japanese people as a whole. Mr Louie Zamperini told me stories about some Japanese soldiers who were kind to him during his detention, and of one man he credited with saving his life. It was very important to me to try to see the war from the Japanese perspective as well, and to respect that.

Q. Unbroken also showed scenes from the Great Tokyo Air Raid, which seemed to take the Japanese perspective into consideration.

A. Yes. My intention was never to give a one-sided account of the war. Civilians suffered on all sides, in Japan’s case including the bombing of Tokyo and the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But the film is art, it is not a documentary.

Q. In the original book, there is a passage that refers to cannibalism that was omitted in the final cut.

A. That is not part of Louie’s personal story. It is Louie’s story of resilience and forgiveness that I wanted to tell.

Q. Unbroken was released in China. There is concern that the movie will heighten anti-Japanese sentiment.

A. I would be very disappointed if anyone in any country tried to use the film as a pretext for any anti-Japanese sentiment. In any case, Japan’s achievements in the 70 years since the war speak for itself. You are an ally and a friend, a leading democracy, one of the strongest economies in the world, and you play a leading role in international peace and security. I have just returned from the Middle East, where Japan is providing over $2 billion to build stability and fight extremism — that is a contribution to be proud of.

Q. Despite having no release date in Japan, the film has nonetheless created a stir based on the perceived notion that Unbroken is an anti-Japanese film.

A. Unbroken is not a film about Japan, nor is it an anti-Japanese film. Louie loved Japan. He described carrying the torch in the [Nagano Winter] Olympics as the proudest moment in his life. Those who have a chance to see the film will be able to judge for themselves.

By arrangement with The Yomiuri Shimbun-Asia News Network

Published in Dawn February 4th , 2015

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