tall tales make flowers bloom but bear no fruit

at its core, hana is less a film about a samurai seeking vengance, and more a film about the complicated relationships between fathers and sons. is it possible for a son to honor a father without hate as the primary motivation? must soza succumb to the hate left by his father's death and kill his father’s murderer? a lighthearted, yet touching film, hirokazu koreeda shows us what the true meaning of honor is, and - perhaps - even the filth in our lives is capable of producing beautiful flowers.

(7/24/22)