Browsing on the supein-nihon forum, I found a post about bullying in Japan. They recommended a series of videos that could help understand bullying in Japanese schools.
I found this an interesting topic and decided to see the film in question, so I could learn a little more about the complicated education system in Japan. Also, I would be able to get some more information that might help me understand how someone could become a hikikomori. This is a topic that, although not directly addressed in the film itself, shows you the pressure one might be subjected to and therefore decides to shut themselves off from the rest of the world.
Truth is that the film in question might not really catch you in the first few minutes. Not knowing what the film is about will probably make you doubt the quality at first, but if you stick to it, you will see that it is really is a movie worth seeing. It will help you to understand why this is such a different culture from ours.
Honestly, I thought that in Japan there was no such thing as bullying, but unfortunately, it is something that is quite common in many places nowadays. The film shows you that this phenomenon does exist in Japan and that children are also very rude when it comes to respecting their elders. Maybe it is something typical of children or perhaps I had too much expectations of how they would treat their teachers.
This film is highly recommended; not only for the story itself, which is very well developed, but it will also help you to understand more about this part of the Japanese culture, although, it might not show you exactly something you wanted to find out in the first place.
By the way, this movie has won many awards and was nominated with an Oscar for the best foreign film. Imdb gives a score of 7.9, which is something that cannot be denied.
