It must be difficult, after a lifetime of being revered as a god—someone your subjects would happily die for —to suddenly admit you’re human after all.
“The Sun,” directed by Russian master Alexander Sokurov, depicts in telling detail how Emperor Hirohito, who led Japan during WorldWar II, handled such a situation after his country surrendered to the US.
“The Sun” gives us behind- the-scene looks at Hirohito, the man and the ruler. The diminutive leader comes off sympathetically, as a man concerned with the welfare of his people.
He even goes on radio to ask the Japanese to cease military activity. It’s the first time his voice is heard by his subjects.
The film’s nitty-gritty takes place during a luncheon summit between Hirohito (a super Issey Ogata) and Gen. DouglasMac- Arthur (an OK Robert Dawson).
The emperor is a softspoken, refined person who’s forced to accept the brusque MacArthur, who led the US presence in Japan after the war.
As usual with Sokurov, who does his own cinematography, the look is sublime. (Remember his singletake masterwork “Russian Ark”?) In an interesting touch, much of “The Sun” seems to have been shot through gauze.
In Russian and English, with English subtitles. Running time: 110 minutes. Not rated (mature themes). At FilmForum, Houston Street.