THE Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo doesn’t mean much to Americans, but in Japan it’s the source of a bitter, long-running controversy.
The documentary “Yasukini” — directed by Li Ying, who was born in China and has lived in Japan for 20 years — examines the issues surrounding the monument, which was founded in 1869 and now houses the remains of 2.5 million Japanese war dead.
Controversy arises because 1,000 of the dead are implicated in war crimes committed by Japan in its wars of conquest in the 1930s and ’40s.
The film contains footage of protests at the shrine, including those unleashed when Japan’s prime minister at the time visited the shrine in 2005, on the anniversary of Japan’s surrender to the Allies.
The film is visually compelling, but suffers because Li fails to put events into context, a fact likely to confuse viewers not versed in Japanese history.
In Japanese, with English subtitles. Running time: 123 minutes. Not rated (mild violence). At Film Forum, Houston Street, west of Sixth Avenue. Through Tuesday.