水俣病の記録で知られる報道写真家・桑原史成の生きざまを追った、韓国発のドキュメンタリー。 1962年に水俣を撮影した作品で報道写真家としてデビューした桑原史成は、水俣病の被害者たちに長期的に寄り添い、被写体と深い関係性を築きながら、人間の尊厳と記憶を写し出す仕事を60年以上にわたり続けてきた。政治、公害、分断といった主題に真正面から向き合い、2014年には土門拳賞を受賞。同時代の記録者として、後進に多大な影響を与えてきた。その活動は日本のみならず、日韓国交正常化前夜の1964年に韓国へ渡り、市井の人々の姿をとらえた写真群が、その後の代表作「水俣・韓国・ベトナム」などに結実。それ以降も、南北朝鮮の双方に足を運ぶという希有な経験を通して、分断国家の現実を一貫してカメラに収め続け、韓国においても彼の写真は重要な歴史的記録として高く評価されている。 本作では、桑原を長年にわたり支えるパートナーの和子ら関係者のインタビューなどを通してその人物像に迫るとともに、高齢となった桑原が健康状態を心配されながらも、人生をかけて撮り続けた韓国を再訪しようとする姿を映し出す。監督は「ムルスム（水の息）」「プルスム（炎の息）」などを手がけた韓国のドキュメンタリー作家コ・ヒヨン。

A South Korean documentary tracing the life of Fumifumi Kuwabara, a photojournalist known for his documentation of Minamata disease. Kuwabara debuted as a photojournalist in 1962 with his photographs of Minamata, and for over 60 years he has remained close to the victims of Minamata disease, building deep relationships with his subjects while capturing human dignity and memory. He has confronted themes of politics, pollution, and division head-on, and received the Domon Ken Award in 2014. As a chronicler of his era, he has had a profound influence on younger generations. His work extends beyond Japan; in 1964, on the eve of Japan-South Korea normalization, he traveled to South Korea, and his photographs of ordinary people there culminated in his representative works such as "Minamata, Korea, Vietnam." Since then, through the rare experience of visiting both North and South Korea, he has consistently documented the reality of the divided nation, and his photographs are highly regarded as important historical records in South Korea as well. This film explores his character through interviews with his long-time partner Kazuko and others close to him, while also depicting the elderly Kuwabara, despite concerns about his health, attempting to revisit South Korea, the country he spent his life photographing. Directed by South Korean documentary filmmaker Ko Hiyoung, known for "Mulsum (Breath of Water)" and "Pulsum (Breath of Fire)."

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Source: cinematokyo.com · Tokyo mini-theater & independent cinema showtimes.