The Making Of


	Risa Morimoto discusses the role that timing played in telling this story. I do believe… that had I tried to make this movie 10 years ago, the former Kamikaze would not have been as forthcoming about their feelings and experiences. The fact that they are in their mid-80s was a huge factor.

Filmmakers Risa Morimoto and Linda Hoaglund talk about creating a balanced perspective on the Pacific War, arranging for U.S. veterans to meet their Japanese counterparts and losing the camera twice during filming.

What led you to make this film?

Risa Morimoto: In spring 2005, I had a conversation with my cousin at a family gathering, where he casually mentioned that our uncle had trained to be a Kamikaze. I was surprised that I didn’t know this information and even more distraught over the fact that I couldn’t believe that this man that I had known and adored could commit such an unthinkable act. I thought about it for days, eventually becoming more disappointed in myself that I still believed these propaganda stereotypes. I thought that if I still believed in these stereotypes, then there would be others who would too. I then decided that it would be an interesting topic for a documentary.

What were some of the challenges you faced in making this film?

Risa Morimoto: Funding is always a challenge in any film production. I used all my savings to initially get to Japan and found creative ways to tell the story that would not require a lot of money. I am EXTREMELY lucky to have many talented friends who worked for either very little or deferred pay. Without them, this film definitely would not have been made.

In the beginning, it was just two of us—my cinematographer, Francisco, and me. There are certain advantages to having only two people in a crew—easy mobility and less stress during interviews to name a couple. But there are also challenges. Since there are so many production items happening at the same time, we had to keep on top of all the moving details. With the stress and tight schedule, at times we were very tired…. We forgot the camera twice—once in a restaurant, the other time in a train station. Luckily we were in Japan, where theft is not prevalent. Believe it or not the camera was where we forgot it! Anywhere else, well… we wouldn’t have been able to finish filming.

Linda Hoaglund: We really strove to create a balanced perspective on the Pacific War. In order to do this, we needed to work against existing narratives on both sides of that war, entrenched by victory on the U.S. side and defeat on the Japanese side. For instance, many Americans are still not familiar with the fact that we firebombed 63 Japanese cities before dropping the atomic bombs, and many Japanese still believe that the Kamikaze were willing volunteers. Time and again, we turned to the all-too-human testimony of the veterans, both Japanese and American, to help us achieve a fair, balanced point of view.

How did you gain the trust of the subjects in your film?

Risa Morimoto: Trust during interviews is of the utmost importance. Who is going to tell their personal story to a stranger unless they trust them, right? I was really fortunate to have been introduced to [our subjects] through our consultant, Bill Gordon. For some, it was the first time I met them; for others, I had spent a few days with them first. I think that being a Japanese American woman with an uncle who had trained [as a Kamikaze], and the fact that I am of a younger generation… worked to my advantage to create a more trusting, relaxing interview. I do believe… that had I tried to make this movie 10 years ago, the former Kamikaze would not have been as forthcoming about their feelings and experiences. The fact that they are in their mid-80s was a huge factor.

Do you think there is still a strong misconception about Kamikaze pilots among Americans?

Risa Morimoto: Yes, most definitely. They have been completely mythologized through the generations as fanatic suicide bombers of their day. Most people don’t know that the Kamikaze were ordered to [serve], that there were Kamikaze survivors after the war or that the Kamikaze were formed towards the end of the [war and] not at Pearl Harbor. The purpose of our film was to help break down these one-dimensional stereotypes, not only in the Western world but also in Japan, where they are looked upon as heroes.

Linda Hoaglund: I think that the notion of the fanatical Kamikaze pilots flying joyously to their deaths during the Pacific War remains deeply entrenched in the U.S. Part of this is because the more evil our former enemy, the more righteous the United States was in vanquishing them. The reality, which we present in our film, is that for the most part, Kamikaze pilots were poorly trained young pilots who did not want to die. We were very fortunate to be able to interview four, former Kamikaze at a time in their lives when they felt free to be completely honest. They were neither suicidal nor fanatical. They were once young men who knew the war was lost and they wanted more than anything to live.

Can any comparisons be made with Kamikaze pilots and fighters in other wars, past or present?

Linda Hoaglund: Many of the myths ascribed to Kamikaze pilots on both sides of the Pacific stem from the total isolation and secrecy surrounding their experience. Confined to their bases, bound to secrecy, their every letter heavily censored by the military, they could tell no one about their impending deaths. After their deaths, what mostly survived were their last wills, written to please the censors and protect their surviving families. This may parallel the circumstances of contemporary suicide bombers.

Though it is tempting to ascribe insane criminality to those who would use their bodies as weapons, what we have learned about who the Kamikaze really were should caution us that in each society at war, there are many circumstances which might back someone into that kind of desperate corner. In our film we wanted to indict the militarists who knowingly sacrificed their own men, sending them to certain death, not the young men who were forced to take their own lives.

Tell us about a scene in the film that especially moved or resonated with you.

Linda Hoaglund: Early in the film, Mr. Nakajima, one of the former Kamikaze, bluntly criticizes the Emperor of Japan for not surrendering earlier, sacrificing tens of thousands of Japanese by his refusal to take responsibility and admit defeat. It may be difficult for most Americans to understand how radical his words are, in a country in which criticizing the Emperor remains an almost unbreakable taboo. I was particularly moved by Mr. Nakajima’s criticism of the Emperor because he chose such simple language, using words that anybody around the world can understand and relate to. His words strike at the heart of the responsibilities leaders must face when they subject their people to war.

Risa Morimoto: There were many scenes that resonated with me. One that stands out in particular is when Hamazono boarded his plane and the engineer told him that he didn’t care if he got court-martialed, and then he gave Hamazono a full tank of gas so that if he ran into trouble he could come home (most planes by that time in the war were given one-way fuel because of the dearth of oil). As you find out from the film, the fact that he had a full tank of gas was one of the miracles that helped to save his and Nakajima’s lives. It is a tender moment of one human being trying to do whatever he could to help another.

What would you have liked to include in the film that didn’t make the cut?

Risa Morimoto: I interviewed so many other people who unfortunately didn’t make it into the film… a woman who was engaged to be married to an Army pilot, a man whose brother died as a Kamikaze. I have been deeply touched by all the people who graciously took the time to share their experiences with me. But as we quickly discovered in the editing room, not all the stories can be told in one movie.

Were there any technical challenges you faced while shooting, and if so, how did you resolve them?

Risa Morimoto: We had issues of low light in a room or the microphone not working properly. I had to stop the interview—which I hate doing because it ruins the flow—a couple of times. Some of the problems we ended up fixing in post-production (a common answer but one I do not recommend). One of the interviews started before I was ready to start shooting. He started talking, and we just needed to run with it. It is a challenge when you are dealing with people who have never been interviewed with a camera before. It is creating the balance of having them feel relaxed as though the camera is not there while making sure you are getting the shots that you need.

What has the audience response been so far? Have the people featured in the film seen it, and if so, what did they think?

Linda Hoaglund: The audience responses throughout the world have been extraordinary. In Japan, the film received a national theatrical release and received wide media coverage. The film has traveled to film festivals around the world, from Canada to Europe and Asia, Israel and the U.S. Audiences everywhere have embraced the film as a moving antidote to entrenched stereotypes about the Kamikaze.

Risa Morimoto: Yes, all the veterans in the film have seen the film. The former Kamikaze hail our film as “the most moving requiem to their fallen comrades.” When two of the U.S. Navy vets saw the film, they asked us to take them to Japan to meet with their former enemies. We complied and filmed their very emotional, redemptive encounters with the former Kamikaze. We actually made a companion film about their journey to Japan called Wings of Defeat: Another Journey. It’s available online through our Web site.

The independent film business is a difficult one. What keeps you motivated?

Linda Hoaglund: The incredible trust and friendship we’ve created with the veterans in our film is truly inspiring. They opened their hearts and placed their stories in our hands. We were able to not only tell their stories but also gain their friendship and trust. What more can you possibly ask for?

Risa Morimoto: Keeping focused on why you need to tell the story helps. The first question I ask myself and others who want to make a movie is: “Can you spend the next five to 10 years of your life with this subject matter?” If the answer is yes, then that is your motivation. If not, then it’s time to pick a different career path.

Why did you choose to present your film on public television?

Risa Morimoto: One of the main reasons we wanted to make this movie was to help change perceptions of the Kamikaze. Public television is the ideal venue [because] anybody who is curious can tune in and hear their stories. Public television has been the backbone of the television industry and is driven by public interest and not corporate dollars. It has continued to provide strong content to its viewers. For our film to be in the company of public television’s other highly regarded programs is humbling.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Linda Hoaglund: We invited two of the former Kamikaze in the film to join us for our U.S. premieres in San Francisco and New York. At one of the Q&A sessions, someone asked them if the Japanese code of honor suicide—hara-kiri—helped to make it easier for them to resolve to take their own lives, dive-bombing American ships. Mr. Ena, one of the former Kamikaze, responded, “Unlike people who are suicidal, we had to force ourselves to face death. On the night before we took off, we had to internally apologize to our parents for abandoning them, somehow shake off our rage at having to cut short our own lives and come to terms with the fact that we were no longer going to be alive… not to mention confront our very real fears of death.”