Yama no anata
山のあなた 〜徳市の恋〜

My Darling of the Mountains - Tokuichi's Love

On the way to the mountains

In spring, blind masseurs wander from the seaside baths to the thermal baths in the mountains. This opening scene is about perception.

The guests are coming

Guests traveling to the same thermal spa have chosen the horse-drawn carriage as their means of transport. Masseur Tokuichi is already recognizing details about the passengers. The coachman explains the sport that the blind masseurs do while hiking up.

Anma to Onna - 按摩と女

"The Masseurs and a Woman" from 1938 is the basis for "Yama no anata" from 2008. Hiroshi Shimizu (1903-1966) wrote the script and was the director. The new film is a copy of his work. Almost all dialogues are the same and so are almost all camera angles. With 94 minutes the 2008 version is about 18 minutes longer than the original. This is due to a 5-minute credits at the end and slow tracking shots that show nature in detail and the people in close-up.

Movie data

Original title: 山のあなた 〜徳市の恋〜 Yama no anata - Tokuichi no koi
International title: My Darling of the Mountains
Original language: Japanese
Published: 2008
Length: 94 minutes

Staff
Director: Katsuhito Ishii
Script: Hiroshi Shimizu 1938
Music: Toshio Nakagawa, Sato Akinobu, Fuki Harumi

Cast
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi: Tokuichi, a masseur
Ryo Kase: Fukuichi, a masseur
Maiko: Michiho Misawa, the woman from Tokyo
Ryohei Hirota: Kenichi Omura, the boy
Shinichi Tsutsumi: Shinataro Omura, the uncle
Tomokazu Miura: Jun Kujiraya, inn keeper
Mei Kurokawa: O-Kiku, servant
Eriko Watanabe: O-Aki, servant


The movie

The film focuses on a group of blind masseurs who work in a thermal bath in the mountains. There are also the inn keeper, the servants and some guests. There is a mysterious young woman from Tokyo, a little boy with his uncle, a group of female students and one of male students, who are going on hikes.
The story is partly burlesque and is also somewhat reminiscent of Hitchcock, as a criminal case occurs. If you like slow films and are interested in Japanese society before the Second World War, you will find an interesting and entertaining film here.