AINU MOSIR: FILM REVIEW
Takeshi Fukunaga’s “Ainu Mosir” presents an important look into the Ainu people, through crafting a collage of vibrantly-telling communal scenes and telling the story of a precious boy who struggles with his identity.
“Ainu Mosir” revolves around the Ainu, the local indigenous people of Japan. I did not know about the Ainu before watching this film, but learned that the Ainu were the earliest settlers of Japan’s northern island, Hokkaido. However, the Ainu have been marginalized by Japanese rule for centuries and only in 2019 did the Japanese government officially recognize the Ainu as an indigenous people. In Japan, Ainu villages such as Akanko Ainu Kotan, are largely only seen as tourist destinations.
Fukunaga expresses the identity crisis of the Ainu through the film’s protagonist, Kanto (Kanto Shimokura), a 14-year-old boy who witnesses the condescending treatment of the Ainu by the Japanese and only wants to be reunited with his father, who recently passed. Kanto seems to have found his savior: Debo (Debo Akibe), a family friend who teaches Kanto about Ainu culture by bringing Kanto on ventures in the forest together. Debo asks Kanto to help him raise a bear cub, but makes it clear that Kanto cannot reveal their little secret. Kanto’s face lights up when interacting with the bear, and we can see his guard immediately being let down. Debo also shows Ainu the gateway to those who have passed, which comes in the form of a pile of huge rocks. This could be Ainu’s ticket to see his father.
There is no doubt that this film is beautifully shot, and does a careful job of ensuring it doesn’t fetishize or exoticize the culture of the Ainu. This is largely due to the fact that the majority of the characters in the film are played by non-professional Ainu actors. Fukunaga also grew up in Hokkaido, although he is not part of the Ainu. As someone who went into the film clueless about the Ainu culture, I felt that I was being diligently educated about the Ainu, not only in their rituals, but also in the inner crises of the modern people, who are constantly surrounded by symbols of Japanese assimilation. The quietness of Kanto’s demeanor emphasizes his inner conflict as a young boy, of not entirely wanting to accept his culture, no matter how wrong that feels.
One of the largest sources of conflict throughout the film is the bear ritual. The Ainu Bear Ceremony, also known as Iyomante, is one where a brown bear is sacrificed after being raised for two years. The bear is sacrificed in the center of the village as the men surrounding it attempt to kill it with bows and arrows. In “Ainu Mosir,” Debo wants to facilitate the Iyomante ceremony in Japan, a tradition that has not happened in decades. However, he neglects to tell Kanto this fact. Kanto finds out through his own volition, and is appalled by the reality he faces.
Fukunaga’s “Ainu Mosir” diligently tells the modern day story of the Ainu, a people who rightfully attempt to preserve their century-old culture in a country that wants them to assimilate. However, this reality looks very different from the viewpoint of a young boy, who is just growing into and continuously learning about his community. “Ainu Mosir” is a film worth taking in, not only for its visual representation of an Ainu community, but also for its coming of age story, which revolves around a boy who must navigate polarizing feelings of grief and resistance.