25 Mar 2009

Climbers High

Director: Masato Harada

Language: In Japanese with subtitles

Starring: Shinichi Tsutsumi, Masato Sakai, Machiko Ono, Masahiro Takashima, Tsutomu Yamazaki

Release: 2009-03-25

Here's another movie about a reporter. But whereas Confessions of a Shopaholic is lighter than cotton candy, this one is a hell of a lot more serious, pondering the question of ethical journalism and responsible reporting.

Based on non-fiction novel, it recounts the events on August 12, 1985, when Japan Airlines Flight 123 crashed into the ridge of Mount Takamagahara in the Gunma Prefecture. Kazumasa Yuki (played by Shinichi Tsutsumi ), a journalist for the North Kanto Times, was assigned to take charge of the coverage of the disaster.

Throughout the day, Kazumasa has to make some tough decisions - among them, whether to publish a story without being sure of all the facts, whether to rely on secondhand sources, and whether to stay objective or succumb to sentimentality to sell newspapers.

Without a doubt, this is a well-meaning drama that would intrigue those working in the newsroom. But as far as mainstream audiences are concerned, we're not so sure.