3.5/5 stars
Towards the end of Kei Ishikawaโs visually captivating new film A Pale View of Hills, Niki (Camilla Aiko) tells her mother, Etsuko (Yoh Yoshida), she shouldnโt feel guilty about leaving Japan for Britain after the second world war. โWe all need to change,โ she says.
For Etsuko, that comment rings very true: trapped by both the trauma of war and the tyranny of patriarchy, reinvention was perhaps Etsukoโs only option to attain a more rewarding life.
By amplifying the bookโs much more muted social commentary โ a move encouraged by Ishiguro himself, who helped develop the screenplay and also serves as the executive producer of the film โ Ishikawa somehow shifts the focus away from the protagonistโs personal struggles.
He also waters down the intrigue which keeps Niki โ and the audience โ guessing about the truthfulness of Etsukoโs recollections of her past.