Displaced and Brought Together by War: The Tale of Giovanni’s Island
by John Whitehead
The many ways war and its aftermath can devastate people’s lives, but also the bonds that can form among those enduring such hardships, is the subject of Giovanni’s Island, an animated movie produced by Japanese studio Production I.G.
Although originally released in 2014, the movie became available in North America for the first time earlier this year. Consistent life ethic activists and others concerned with protecting human life, as well as those interested in powerful human stories, may want to take the opportunity to see Giovanni’s Island (which is in Japanese and Russian, with subtitles).
Set in the late 1940s, the movie covers a dimension of World War II that is little known to western audiences. The story follows adolescent boy Junpei and his younger brother Kanta. The two boys live with their widowed father and extended family on Shikotan, a small island in the Kurils, in Japan’s far north, The island is too remote to be directly affected by the war, but after the war ends the inhabitants must deal with foreign occupation: in this case, by the Soviet Union.
Junpei and Kanta soon find their house repossessed by the Soviet commander and his family, while they must relocate to a stable. Their schoolhouse is divided between the native inhabitants and the children of the Soviet soldiers. Food and other goods become scarcer.
Yet daily life continues even under foreign military occupation, and the two brothers, who don’t fully understand what the occupation means, find ways to enjoy themselves. Despite language barriers, they start playing with their new Russian classmates.
Most important, they befriend Tanya, the daughter of the Soviet commander who now lives in their old house. Reasoning, as Junpei notes, that she won’t understand their Japanese names anyway, they introduce themselves to her as “Giovanni” and “Campanella.” These names are taken from their favorite book, the fairy-tale-like Night on the Galactic Railroad (this book’s significance for the characters gradually becomes clear as the story unfolds).
Giovanni’s Island skillfully handles its complicated subject matter. The serious conflicts between the island’s adult residents and the Soviet occupiers are present on screen but are kept in the background. The focus is how the situation affects the young protagonists, sometimes in unexpected ways.
An early scene where Soviet soldiers burst into the boys’ classroom is frightening but ends on a darkly humorous note. Later, the school’s Japanese and Russian students sing in their respective languages in a way that starts out competitive but then takes a different turn. The Soviets initially appear to our protagonists as grotesque giants but Tanya and her family later change their perceptions.
While recognizing the situation’s complexity, though, Giovanni’s Island doesn’t obscure the fundamental injustice or cruelty of the occupation. This reality becomes especially clear in the movie’s intense second half, when the characters’ situation dramatically changes and they must desperately search for freedom and safety.
Although Giovanni’s Island is about a specific historical episode, its story has broader applicability. The movie reminds us of how people suffer for political reasons: from war and its consequences but also from other types of oppression and indifference. For example, aspects of Junpei and Kanta’s plight parallel those of the untold numbers of people forced from their homes by one upheaval or another who must then deal with all the dangers and indignities inflicted on refugees. The movie also reminds us of how families and communities can support each other in desperate times and how people we might stereotype as the “enemy” or the “other” can show unexpected kindness or humanity.
Viewers should be aware that while the movie contains little explicit violence it does deal with emotionally weighty material, including a shattering tragedy that occurs late in the story. The movie would not be appropriate for younger audiences, although teenagers and older viewers could appreciate it.
Despite the inevitably grim nature of this tale, Giovanni’s Island ends on a hopeful note. The movie’s epilogue provides a poignant vision of both homecoming and reconciliation among former enemies. May all wars and upheavals end in similar ways.
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For more of our movie reviews, see:
The Violence That Didn’t Happen (Stranger at the Gate)
Movies with Racism Themes: “Gosnell” and “The Hate U Give”
The Darkest Hour: “Glorifying” War?
Jasmine, Aladdin, and the Power of Nonviolence
The Message of “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”: Abortion Gets Sexual Predators Off the Hook
Justice Littered with Injustice: Viewing Just Mercy in a Charged Moment
Hollywood Movie Insights (The Giver, The Whistleblower, and The Ides of March)
Hollywood Movie Insights II (Never Look Away, The Report, and Dark Waters)
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