THE MAN WHO WALKED ON SNOW

Japan, 2000, 115 minutes, Colour.

The Man Who Walked on Snow is the story of an elderly widower. He lives in a bypassed coastal village in Japan. Each day he goes for a long walk in the snow (to the accompaniment of music by Sans Saen or Offenbach).

His family had been makers of sake. He values the family tradition. However, his older son has been alienated, his father criticising his wanting to be in a music group. The older son lives away from home, his girlfriend/wife is pregnant and he has no desire to see his father. The younger son lives at home and is treated badly by his father, wanting to look after him but not being able to get his affection.

In the meantime the old man visits the salmon farm every day, looking at the small fish, waiting for the day when they will be released into the ocean. He is attracted to the young woman working there, actually makes a proposal of marriage but cannot remember it the next day. She tends to take it seriously but also as a joke. She eventually leaves to go to a boyfriend in the south of Japan.

The younger brother persuades the older to come home and visit the father. There are many family clashes. Even between the brothers themselves. They try to eat out but the dinner is a failure. Ultimately, some insight is gained by the brothers. However, the older brother leaves once again. The younger brother stays at home trying to help his father, even with a coat, but is rejected.

When the father finally goes for another walk, he collapses in the snow and dies.

The film is a glimpse of Japanese life in a small town, the failure of small towns in the economic crises. It also shows themes of ageing, loss of memory, emotions and unresolved tensions within family. It has a good portrait of the two sons, especially the older. It also shows much of the futility of family feuds and the sadness that they cannot be resolved.