Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing the latest film by Alexander Sokurov (Russian Ark, Mother and Son, MOLOCH), THE SUN is a fascinating character study that is sure to polarize movie-goers everywhere. Does that mean it’s a bad film? Not at all. In fact, the film has nestled it’s way into my top ten movies of the year list and stands as a haunting experience.

THE SUN tells the story of the Emperor Hirohito of Japan, during the events of World War II, and the decisions he made that would bring the war to an eventual end, while developing an unlikely friendship with General MacArthur, there to facilitate a formal surrender. What’s interesting to note, is that this is the first time the enigmatic Emperor has been portrayed on film and Issey Ogata (Yi Yi) nails an amazing performance as the late Emperor, down to facial twitches, occasional stuttering, and awkward shuffling. As I mentioned before, THE SUN is a character study with very few characters besides Hirohito himself. Here, Sokurov chooses to focus on the tiny, man-boy-like emperor and it works well as Hirohito, a man many see responsible for the atrocities committed by the imperial forces during the war, proves to be a fascinating lead character.

Rather than glorify or attempt to establish sympathy for Hirohito, Sokurov merely presents him as a man, a supposed descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu, who questions his divinity and merely thinks himself as a normal human being often correcting his servants on this matter. He also proves resistant to tradition, by not sitting in his appointed “royal chair” and even smacking a servant for attempting to take his jacket and not leaving him alone. In many ways Hirohito is like a child, curious of the world around him yet clearly having not been exposed to much of it. This child-like quality continues when he later reunites with his wife, embracing her as a child would embrace its mother. Besides Emperor of all Japan, Hirohito is an avid scientist, stemming from his curiosity of the world, and is fascinated by hydrobiology.

With the war now coming to their doorstep, Hirohito and his servants are constantly reminded of imminent American attacks with blaring sirens that can be heard in the distance. As time progresses, Hirohito is haunted by dreams of attack bombers resembling flying fish, laying waste to Japanese cities.

It’s not until later in the film when Hirohito meets with General MacArthur that he sees the devastation to his country and his people, firsthand. It’s during this time of great despair and disgrace that he decides to negotiate a surrender and even renounce his divinity, in hopes that his people can rise from the ashes and recover from this great loss (this is symbolized in the film’s ending as well).

THE SUN is very minimal in many ways, mainly taking place in the Emperor’s palace (originally a laboratory) with little dialogue and much being told with a silent bow or hand gesture. Also, the film has a very dull and muted color palette. One scene that stands out is when Hirohito exits his palace to meet with MacArthur, where we see a flower garden full of almost colorless flowers. There’s a certain hazy aspect to the film, adding to the dull colors and minimal background music that gives the film an almost dream-like quality.

With it’s minimalist approach, occasional humor amidst dire circumstances, and amazing Oscar-worthy performance by Ogata, THE SUN has all the makings of a wonderful and touching film. For those looking for some action and fast paced affair, they may want to look elsewhere but for the rest of us, the film is a wonderful character study piece. Much like the somber strokes of Japanese calligraphy, THE SUN is a sweeping, dream-like experience best enjoyed by art house-aficionados and those interested in history.

THE SUN is now playing until December 1st at New York City’s Film Forum at 209 West Houston Street, with daily screenings at 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, and 9:55.

An actual photo of General MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito.