The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity (1959)

 Masaki Kobayashi's "The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity"


The second installment of Masaki Kobayasi's "Human Condition" trilogy, called "Road to Eternity," finds our protagonist, Kaji, moving from running a concentration camp to being an army conscript. Like in the first film, Kaji attempts to better the humanity surrounding wartime Japan by holding on to his pacifist ideals. However, his difficulties mount, given the brutal nature of war and, more specifically, the human condition itself.

While I found myself not being as attuned to this film as I was in the first one, I think this film is as much of an achievement. Its three hour length is completely necessary to breaking down the audiences' spirits, just as Kaji's spirits continue to be battered and abused. Kobayashi manages to visualize the struggle of holding on to one's sense of humanity during the most inhumane time.




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