Onoda – 10,000 Nights in the Jungle – Onoda, 10,000 nuits dans la jungle (2021)

Directed by: Arthur Harari | 165 minutes | adventure, drama | Actors: Yûya Endô, Kanji Tsuda, Yûya Matsuura, Tetsuya Chiba, Shinsuke Kato, Kai Inowaki, Issei Ogata, Taiga Nakano, Nobuhiro Suwa, Mutsuo Yoshioka, Tomomitsu Adachi, Kyûsaku Shimada, Angeli Bayani, Jemuel Satumba

The Philippines, 1944. Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda is sent to Lubang Island to resist the Allies. Here, Onoda is given the sacred task of leading the Japanese garrison in a guerrilla war. His mission is to stay alive and lead his comrades to victory. But shortly after the atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan capitulates, ending World War II. Still roaming the jungles of Lubang, Onoda refuses to believe that the war has ended. While his men dwindle and his mental condition deteriorates, the soldier continues his fight unruly. In Japan, Onoda is pronounced dead, but on Lubang he grows into a living legend. His lonely struggle in the jungle simmers for twenty-nine years, until one day he receives an unexpected visitor.

‘Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle’ is a truth-based film from director Arthur Harari. The French filmmaker had been thinking about making an adventure film for several years. However, it wasn’t until he talked about it with his father that he found his ideal subject. He told him the story of a Japanese soldier with an extremely remarkable life. Harari was immediately sold. ‘Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle’, the opening film of Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, is his ambitious end result.

It’s not hard to see why Hiroo Onoda is an adequate and interesting character for a movie. His twenty-nine-year guerrilla war on Lubang is a rebellion of almost mythical proportions. The fact that Harari chooses to show parts of Onoda’s past, but doesn’t give a clear insight into his psyche, makes it all the more captivating. Harari’s version of Onoda is a flesh-and-blood human being – filled with fear, anxiety and mistrust – yet remains a highly unpredictable individual when it comes down to it. Watching young Onoda (Yuya Endo) grow into his bitter, older self (Takeshi Kitano associate Kanji Tsuda) is both gripping and fascinating. Both Endo and Tsuda do a first-class job in portraying the unpredictable soldier. They are strong acting performances, with a good sense of mimicry and nuance.

This film adaptation about Onoda’s life on Lubang can be divided into three consecutive parts: his battle against the Allies, building a lifestyle in the Philippine wilderness and finally his definitive return to reality. All three parts have roughly the same duration. With a running time of almost three hours, there is plenty of time for subtlety and reflection here. Scenes are given time to breathe and plot development never moves too fast. It results in a calm, almost meditative film experience.

Nevertheless, an even higher level could have been reached with a further elaboration of the ending. At that point, the film feels somewhat incomplete. The ending is decent in its current state, but it lacks the staggering possibility of a gripping angle. Still, the film leaves enough impression as the end product. This is an intriguing story, with a considerable eye for detail. There is much to enjoy here and more to discover. That deserves praise.