The Broken Commandment
Based on a novel by Toson Shimazaki, the film revolves around a schoolteacher who is encouraged to conceal his lower class background but constantly finds himself struggling with a crisis of conscience.
At the strong insistence of his father, Ushimatsu Segawa conceals his origins from a “buraku” area of low-class “untouchables,” leaving his hometown to serve as an elementary school teacher where he excels and is loved by his students. But he constantly struggles with the secret of his low-birth status and is disturbed by all of the discrimination levelled upon his class. It prevents him from pursuing a romance with Shiho, whom he meets at the temple where he resides, but who descends from a samurai family.
Directed by Kazuo Maeda · Written by Masato Katō
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Make it a double feature
The Broken Commandment
Death Sentence
A close match in mood and era.
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