Review of Cruel Story of Youth (1960) by Mayukh B — 22 Mar 2012
Simply put the story of this film could be said to be the Japanese answer to Rebel Without a Cause. However the film is quite different from "Rebel" in a number of ways. The graphic violence of the film is unflinching and its frank display of sexuality could be seen as socially liberating.
The two youth at this time in Japan are frankly very angry and confused as many young people are. They just want to do 2 things... drink and fuck. These teenagers drown their anger in self destructive acts of sex and drinking.
Their anger is often directed at the older generations of Japan, mainly their parents and older siblings. They are frustrated with what they see as a lack of initiative in their parents and siblings to truly incite social change in the newly democratic world of post-war japan.
The youth don't both dreaming of a better life because they can't see anything good in a this wasteland of quick thrills and misery, the adults have gotten sick of dreaming and have resigned to their miserable fate.
The non existent morals of the youth stems from their disillusionment with democracy and lack of faith in their elders. They indulge pure pleasure and violence as a way to feel alive, ripping off old men, fucking, getting in fights and drinking, it is the only way they feel free.
The slums of Japan in this film are surrounded with protesting college students, bemoaning what they see as the Government of Japan's kowtowing to foreign countries. I also can't help ,but notice obvious similarities in the way the youth of sixties Japan and young adults in America today treat women.
Women are treated by the men as mere objects for sex and the men stay emotionally distant. Rather than emotions and physicals acts of love, the men are only out for pleasure, debasing the feelings emotions feelings of the women and treating them as sex dolls.
Overall this is a very interesting film that was the begin of Oshima's focus on controversial themes that lead him to seek funding for his films outside of Japan.
This review of Cruel Story of Youth (1960) was written by Mayukh B on 22 Mar 2012.
Cruel Story of Youth has generally received positive reviews.
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