MUDDY RIVER
This isn't your toilet, you know.
Manure gramps, Shit grandpa,
Got no paper, so he wipes with his hands.
Don't wanna waste it, so he just eats it.
Give me some crushed ice, too.
It's too hot for bean cakes!
Don't have any, then.
I'll give you half of mine.
Making bean cakes is your dad's hobby,
regardless of the season.
Eat!
I'm buying a truck next month!
- Shall I give you that horse? - Really?
Do you really mean it?
- He's giving me the horse! - That's great.
Kids don't understand jokes.
He's had three crows run away already.
And now a horse!
And he'd really give it to him, you know.
You're the one who doesn't understand jokes.
The war's been over ten years.
Carts are things of the past.
So you are getting a truck?
It's second-hand. I can't afford a new one.
I've got a heavy load today.
I see.
Second-hand or not, a truck is a truck.
You've worked hard for it.
The horse did.
- Thank you. - It was good.
Uncle...
The horse-cart man is dead!
It's true! He was crushed under the cart.
Uncle! Uncle!
Mr. Shioda!
Stay here!
Call an ambulance!
Come back here, Nobuo!
His child is still young...
His poor wife.
He was our first customer.
I was pregnant with Nobuo.
He gave me a charm for easy births.
It's been ten years already.
This area was still a burnt-out ruin.
We never know when or how we'll die, do we?
As the war had already killed him, he used to say,
he'd never die again.
Rather than die such a horrible death,
he should have died at war.
It would have been better for his family, too.
There must be lots of people out there
who wish now that they'd died in the war.
Do you feel that way too?
What about all our hard work?
Our shop is doing well now.
Although manual labour was all he was good at,
he went at it with such determination and patience.
I admired him.
If Nobuo hadn't been born,
I'd be selling bean cakes.
Darling... are you regretting it all?
For too long, I saw people dying all around me.
And then, from nowhere, Nobuo appeared.
My first child, with me already in my forties.
He's my only achievement.
That woman in Maizuru...
she must still hate me.
You left your house and everything behind
to live in poverty with me in burnt-out Osaka.
I'm always grateful to you for that.
- I'm going. - Where to?
Where else? To see the dead man's family.
At this time of night?
I've got to see them.
How much money have we got?
Give me all of it.
Please.
What are you doing?
This should fetch a fair bit.
It belongs to someone. You can't sell it.
I know that. I wouldn't sell it."
The monster! The monster! It's him.
It's the monster carp!
Look over there.
Can you see a big carp moving around?
This is the third time I've seen him.
He's about as big as me.
Isn't he huge, like a monster?
Don't tell anyone about him. It's our secret, all right?
- That's my house. - Where?
You see that boat? That's it.
We moved here yesterday.
You live in a boat?
- Are you cold? - No.
That shop is my house.
Oh, I see. A noodle shop.
Go on, eat up and go to school.
He'd better stay home today.
Summer colds are serious.
Not like your hangovers?
Go into your room and stay in bed.
Where's you manners?
My head hurts.
Look...
- There's a strange boat there. - It's been there for a day.
- How do you know? - I can see it from here, too.
It's a houseboat.
Life on that must be hard.
What's a houseboat?
Unlike the barges that go up and down a river,
a houseboat stays still and people live in it.
Go to school!
Have you come to play?
You have, haven't you?
I wondered if that monster carp was still around.
Don't say it so loud.
That monster is our secret.
I'm sorry.
Will you come to my place?
Come on in.
Ouch!
Are you all right?
You have to be careful.
- Who is he? - He's from the noodle shop.
There's mud on your shoes.
Wash them for him.
What's your name?
- Nobuo Itakura. - What grade are you in?
- Third grade. - Same as Kiichan, then.
- Is your name Kiichan? - It's Kiichi Matsumoto.
Which school do you go to?
I don't go to school.
- You're clean now. - Thank you.
Come inside while they dry. It's cooler inside.
Did you get some water?
The park's water is cut off until the afternoon.
I see...
We must have some left. I'm very thirsty.
- Is there someone here? - It's Kiichan's friend.
Friend?
- Where's he from? - He's from the noodle shop.
Give him some of those raw sugar pieces,
and tell him not to come here very often.
Nobuo!
Wake up!
Don't let go yet!
- Good morning, Granny! - Good morning.
Granny, Would last year's horoscope be all right?
That'll do.
He went to the toilet late last night,
so I thought he'd be all right.
They say that an old parent
produces defective children.
Please take these home, Granny.
They're wonderful. Thank you.
You know what? You're remarkable.
A little plot of land, and you can grow anything.
Although we run a restaurant,
I can't forget the time when food was scarce.
People make much of our "new prosperity."
They're in for a rude shock one of these days.
If it wasn't for that post-war black market,
we wouldn't be together now.
You and your romantic nonsense!
I've got it!
Well? What does it say?
Never mind his bedwetting.
What do you mean, never mind? I do mind.
But Nobuo is going to be a great man.
He's a tree that grows in water.
As a child, he'll be washed away by the current.
But once he puts down roots in the water,
he'll be nourished by it and grow into a big tree.
Perhaps we should have him tied up until then.
So Nobuo is a tree that grows in water...
It's my turn!
Hurry up!
Give him some of those raw sugar pieces
and tell him not to come here very often.
The old boatman is gone!
- He's not there! - Who's not there?
The old boatman! He disappeared!
You're right. He's not there.
He's fallen in!
What is it?
I'll ask you again. Try to remember.
The old man was definitely on the boat?
Good.
The next bit is important.
Did the old man fall in?
Or did he jump?
- I don't know. - But that doesn't help us!
I wasn't watching then.
But you saw him catching worms, didn't you?
Why didn't you see him fall?
He looked away when he fell. Isn't that plausible?
I'm talking to your son!
We don't know where he lived.
What if your son only saw his boat drifting by?
That's for you to check and find out.
The old man was eaten.
What?
He was eaten by a gigantic monster carp.
They won't find him.
Two meters of mud line the riverbed.
You know that boat that has been here a few days?
That boat? Sure.
Perhaps the old man lived on a houseboat too.
No. He lived on land. He wasn't a river dweller.
I heard that boat used to do good business
when it was moored at Nakanoshima Park.
What sort of business?
Giving pleasure to the men of the district.
The husband was supposed to have been a good bargeman.
His company forced him to work during a storm
and he died.
I see...
You daring little brat! Who are you?
I am Suzunosuke Akado!
He's the greatest swordsman in the whole of Japan,
the young samurai filled with dreams.
His parents are gone, but his smile is brave...
Stop fidgeting. Come here and eat.
Can I bring Kiichan here one day?
- Who's Kiichan? - My friend.
You can bring as many friends as you like.
Can his sister come too?
- His sister? - They're from that boat.
Your friends are from that boat?
Yes. A boy my age and his older sister.
I see.
When did you become friends?
Just the other day.
His sister is very kind.
You went to that boat?
Their mother gave me some brown sugar.
You saw their mother as well?
I just heard her voice.
Can't I bring them here?
Of course you can.
But don't go to that boat at night.
Why not?
Are you sure it'll be all right?
- What? - Those children...
- They're not part of it. - I know that, but...
Children have no choice about being born
or who their parents will be.
You have to say "Good evening".
- Good evening. - Don't say "Good day".
I know that!
Good evening. Good evening...
Good day!
- Good evening. - Good evening.
Come on in!
I've prepared a feast for you.
You two can sit here.
You sit here, Nobuo.
Please start eating.
- Bless this meal. - Bless this meal.
You're all so well mannered.
Please eat your fill.
I'll get your soup.
Is it good?
I've never had a feast like this before.
Ouch!
Not the same spot again.
What are your names?
- I'm Ginko Matsumoto. - I'm Kiichi Matsumoto.
You're beautiful, aren't you?
Who does the cooking at home? Your mother?
- I do. - You do?
She does the washing, the cleaning, everything.
There's nothing for your mother to do, then.
Say...
- How old are you. Ginko? - I'm eleven.
Is that right?
I'd love to have a daughter myself.
A daughter like you would be wonderful.
I can go out and collect water
and sing lots of songs.
That's wonderful. Will you sing one for me?
For me, too.
- Finish your meal first. - I'm full now.
We are hundreds of miles away from home,
in the far and distant land of Manchuria.
The red sun blazes down upon us,
and our friends lie buried under rocks in the fields.
It was only yesterday... sad yesterday...
that they charged bravely against the enemy
and gave them their just deserts.
Now these brave warriors lie buried here.
You're a good singer Kiichan. Such a beautiful voice.
Son...
Look, son...
Do you know the second verse?
I know every verse.
Every verse? I'm impressed.
Will you sing a bit more?
Please.
When the battle was over and the sun was down,
I prayed in my heart as I looked for my friend:
Please be alive, I beg you, please.
And when I found him, I begged him to speak
but his body, alas, was already cold.
And as his soul flew home, the watch in his pocket
ticked on alone in the silence.
How sad it was, the sound of his watch.
You're good. You're very good.
I've never heard anyone sing that song so well.
Who taught you that song?
My dad... He always sang it when he got drunk.
I see.
I've heard he was a very skillful sailor.
You know that dress we bought for Tomoko?
Let's try it on Ginko.
I'm sure you'd look great in it.
We can always buy Tomoko another one.
Hello!
We've closed the shop early tonight.
- Don't be mean! - We've got a long way to go.
- We'll have leftovers. - I don't feel like cooking.
- Have some of this. - We can't. We're working.
What can I say? How about some noodles, then?
We'd eat cooked sticks if you served them.
Don't be silly.
You had a hard time the other day, Nobuo.
The old sailor was never found, you know.
He's from that boat. You know the Kuruwa.
A nice name, Kuruwa.
Hold it. Not in front of the kids.
Don't be so green.
I've heard he pimps for his mother sometimes.
I want you two out.
Get out.
You heard me.
I heard you, but...
Why are you suddenly angry?
Customers?
- I refused them. - But why?
Well, why not?
Come on in.
Have a good look at her.
She is beautiful.
Isn't she? It fits her perfectly.
Girls are so nice.
You look like a beautiful doll.
What's wrong?
Right.
I'll show you an incredible magic trick.
You'll like Dad's magic trick, Kiichan.
Gather round this table, everyone!
Stretch this cloth tightly over the table.
Good.
That's fine.
Let me arrange the cups like this...
and I'll put this bean right here.
Are you ready? Watch carefully now.
This one's empty. And so is this one.
This one's empty, too.
Now I'll put this bean under this cup,
and you tell me where it goes.
Nothing up my sleeve, all right?
Ready?
Here.
There.
This way and that way.
Which one is it in?
- This one. - Are you sure? Lift it.
What?
It's in this one.
Try again?
One more time? Sure.
Ready? This one's empty.
So's this one, and this one as well.
The bean goes in here. Nothing up my sleeve.
Here I go. Watch carefully.
This one goes here...
and these go here and here.
- All right, where is it? - Let me see...
Could it be in this one?
No, no!
- This one! - Open it, then.
- It's not there. - Isn't it strange?
Here it is.
Will you do it again? Please?
I'll do it as many times as you like.
The toilet is at the back.
Let him guess it right for a change.
I want him to, but it's impossible.
Which one?
Well?
You try it, Nobuo.
I've never guessed it right.
Did you use to be a magician before?
A magician?
This is the only trick he can do.
He tricked me with it.
Don't start that now, you hear?
So, which one is it? Well?
What's this?
I've given the dress to you, Ginko.
Did we offend you in some way?
I had a great time. And thank you for dinner.
Let's go home.
Can I come again?
Of course you can.
And you too, Ginko.
I'll see them off.
Their father was a survivor of the war, too...
No more war talk, please.
His singing made me think of Manchuria again.
I almost died there so many times.
I was determined to get back to Japan,
and somehow I managed to make it back.
But look at the horse-cart man and Kiichan's father.
They were left to die, like so much garbage.
"No more war," people say...
but they're making money out of the Korean War.
Everyone around us is getting rich.
Perhaps us survivors can only live like garbage.
She smells of soap...
...your mother.
Do you understand, Ginko and Kiichi?
Your fathers and mothers,
who work in the harbours and rivers of Osaka,
transport goods that are vital to people's lives.
They're very important people, doing important jobs.
If they're too busy at times to return home,
try not to miss them, and keep studying.
Nobuo!
You gave me a fright.
Hiroshi is going to let us watch television.
- Really? - Just for one hour.
This is my friend Kiichan. Can he come too?
No.
Why not? He's my friend.
No.
I'm not going either, then.
I'll never invite you again. Let's go.
Ouch!
Here they are.
We found it.
- I can't see. - Get on my back.
Thank you so much for your kindness.
- When did you get back? - Now.
So she's... I had no idea.
No hope of recovery...
I'll go.
But why does she want to see Nobuo?
He and she are not related by blood.
How far are we going?
We're going to Kyoto.
Where in Kyoto?
People who are badly ill
are taken to big university hospitals.
We don't have to be there for very long.
After the visit, we could do some sightseeing.
Who is she?
She's someone you've never met before.
She's... a friend of mine.
Why do I have to go?
Well, this lady friend of mine...
when I was living in Maizuru years ago,
she was very kind to me.
She's not going to get any better.
She says that while she's still alive,
she'd like to have one look at my child.
Will you see her for me?
Thanks.
Listen to me, Sadako.
She's not doing this because she hates you.
I wonder...
Then why is she saying she wants to see Nobuo?
I gave birth to that child. He's mine.
A child doesn't really belong to anyone.
Would you hate her child if she'd had one?
Well? Of course you wouldn't.
Right?
Why are the eyes of a child, any child, so beautiful?
People close to death think of things like that.
Fundamentally, there's not one human being
who grew up with nobody's help.
Everyone was raised by someone.
Think very hard about this fact.
Remember this, Sadako...
You become very lonely for people when you're dying.
But I'm not going there.
I can't.
So you're... Nobuo.
He's mine now.
So it's already been ten years...
May your father take good care of you.
Thank you for coming to see me.
Thank you.
Mum...
THE POST-WAR PERIOD IS OVER
Your mother is asleep.
Don't wet your pants tonight.
It's eleven more years before you become an adult.
I wonder if I'll still be alive then.
Is that you, Kiichan?
No... it's me.
You must be Nobuo.
Kiichan has gone to get some water.
Come around to this side, Nobuo.
Did your mother forbid you to see me?
No.
Come, then.
I'd like to have a look at you.
Nobuo?
You're a handsome man.
Thanks for looking after my son.
I'm very grateful to your father and mother.
Have they had that shop for a long time?
I, too, while my husband was still alive,
wanted to live on land
and own a shop like that one.
But ever since he died,
I haven't felt like living on land.
Unless I am being rocked by the waves.
I don't feel as if I am alive.
But I did want my children to be able to live on land.
I even worked in a factory at one time.
Nobuo?
Your mother...
she must be a kind, beautiful person.
You're more beautiful.
Please visit my house one day, too.
Thank you.
You're a very clever boy.
Ginko is back.
Come visit us soon.
My mother wants you to.
Ready?
This way and that way...
This is important now. One, two, and...
Which one is it?
- This one! - This one?
Are you sure? This is your last chance.
That's too bad. Well, that's it, folks.
The Tenjin Festival will be on soon.
Can Kiichan come with us this year?
Sure. Would you like to come with us?
There'll be lots of stalls.
I haven't seen your marks from the first semester yet.
How about I take you if the marks are good?
That's unfair! Besides, Kiichan doesn't go to school.
I see. Well, I'll have to take you both then.
Is it a promise? Man to man?
Is it a deal? Man to man?
It is.
You two... grow up to be good men.
Thank you.
Do you wash your mother's back like this?
No.
I've never been to the baths with Mum.
Really?
This is the second time I've been in a house bath.
The first time was a long time ago.
It was when I started middle school.
Do you know how we pee from the boat?
I've no idea.
Say this is the edge of the deck and here's the river.
You face this way like this.
Your hands get so cold in winter.
I once tried to warm them by blowing on them,
but I slipped and fell.
I yelled to Mum, but she was in the galley.
What's a galley?
It's the kitchen in a boat.
It's a small room under the deck. We lived in it.
A man from the next boat yelled to Dad
He's a liar... my dad.
He'd promised us. Man to man.
He's not reliable.
Do we have to go with him?
Let's go without him.
Boys!
Catch this!
- Did you get it, boys? - Thank you.
- It didn't break? - It cracked a little.
It tastes best with a little crack, just like her here.
What are you doing?
Rice feels warm.
Even in the middle of winter, rice stays warm.
It's cold.
It feels warm to me.
Warming her hands in a bin filled with rice
used to make Mum happy...
I can understand now why she felt that way.
We need some money to go to the festival.
Just the two of you?
Yes... it's Dad's fault.
- And you? - I'm not going.
The main shrine is too far.
You can go to the local one.
Some money for Kiichan too.
Here's 50 yen each.
What is it?
It's the first time I've gone to a festival with money.
Let's go.
- How much? - 5 yen. Do you want some?
I want some boiled squid,
some fairy floss and some grilled corn as well.
All you want is food...
Let's check it all out first.
If we pooled our money, we could buy more things.
You're right.
You hold it.
I'm thirsty as well, so let's share a toffee apple.
All right.
- One toffee apple. - Coming up!
What now?
We should have bought something to eat first.
Forget about it.
I'm hungry. Let's go home.
My Mum, she...
when we had the big boat...
she used to mend our clothes all the time.
Do you want to see my treasure?
It's a crabs' nest.
- A crab's nest? - I made it.
Crabs!
There are a lot more inside.
You can have all of them.
- I'm going home. - I'll show you something.
It'll die in there.
Watch this.
Isn't it fun?
It's cruel. Stop it!
It's dangerous, too. Stop it!
Nobuo, I'm sorry.
You'd already gone by the time I came back.
Did you have a good time?
Stop sulking. You're a boy, aren't you?
What happened?
What's this? You're crying?
- I'm not crying. - I see...
Let's go inside.
Come.
I'm sorry.
Sit down.
I suddenly felt like seeing the sea at Maizuru.
That's why I broke my promise.
Will you forgive me?
Maizuru is Dad's home.
He landed there too, when he returned from Siberia.
Maizuru must have changed.
I saw a ship sail for China from that harbour
to collect the ashes of the dead.
We've never been to this Maizuru, have we?
We'll get there one day.
It's my treat tonight. Drink up.
And our friends lie buried under rocks in the fields.
It was only yesterday... sad yesterday...
that they charged bravely against the enemy
and gave them their just deserts.
Now these brave warriors lie buried here.
Why aren't you out playing?
Listen... let's go and see a play tonight.
- What's the occasion? - It's just an idea.
What would you like to see, Nobuo?
A comedy?
I don't want to see a play.
Kiichan's boat is moving away!
Did you two have a fight?
It wasn't that.
Then why is he leaving without a word?
Kiichan...
Subtitles: Susumu Hirayanagi Keren Lavelle ADC