After handing in a report on the treatment of Chinese colonial labor, Kaji is offered the post of labor chief at a large mining operation in Manchuria, which also grants him exemption from military service. He accepts, and moves to Manchuria with his newly-wed wife Michiko, but when he tries to put his ideas of more humane treatment into practice, he finds himself at odds with scheming officials, cruel foremen, and the military police.
Based on Jumpei Gomikawa's ambitious novel and seasoned with Kobayashi's own experiences, this overly melodramatic trilogy set in Japanese-occupied Manchuria depicts the dehumanizing brutality of war with on-the-nose pedantry, never subtext, and offers li
– Aaron Hillis,
Village Voice,
16 Jul 2008
fresh:
Ita(TM)s [star Tatsuya] Nakadai who makes this impressive yet flawed screed worth your time commitment.
– David Fear,
Time Out New York,
16 Jul 2008
fresh:
In keeping with the grandeur of its title, The Human Condition is anything but modest in scope and ambition.
– A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
18 Jul 2008
fresh:
It's a richly rewarding visual and human experience in all its bleakness.