19 minutes, 100 years ago, one mother's impossible choice. History burns in first-person.
The Great Kantō Earthquake is said to be the worst natural disaster in the history of Japan. When disaster struck on September 1st, 1923, a woman called Nobu managed to survive by fleeing desperately all while caring for her two small children. What did she see? What actions did she take? Her decision making during her evacuation is still relevant in present day and can help shed light on what actions to take to save your life should a large disaster strike without warning.
Direction
First-person POV traps you in Nobu's panic.
Production
1923 Tokyo recreated through urgent, imperfect memory.
Sound
Silence and crackling fire do all the screaming.
Director
Takemura Masayuki
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 1923 earthquake killed 105,000; anti-Korean massacres followed, which this film deliberately centers away from to humanize individual trauma over collective violence.
Juri Ueno recorded narration in single takes, director refused 'performance'—only exhausted, present-tense witnessing allowed.
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