I finally watched Rhapsody in August tonight, and now I’m all flummoxed.
For most of the movie, I thought it was a straightforward, somewhat heavy-handed take on the subject (the atomic bomb on Nagasaki in WWII). Then it came to the first ending – Clark-san and Grandma shaking hands under the peaceful moonlight – and I thought it had vindicated itself. Still a somewhat heavy-handed image, but a very nice and memorable one, and it tied the movie together well.
But it wasn’t over yet. Then it came to the second ending – Clark-san and the little boy watch together as ants run towards the red rose outside the memorial service. Better ending, I thought. It’s a more subtle image and therefore more effective, and it tied the movie together well.
But it still wasn’t over yet. The real ending – Grandma walking through the storm towards Nagasaki, with her family desperately chasing her, with the tune cheerfully sung over the whole scene – I just don’t get at all. Does it change the message of the movie from one of peaceful accord back to one of “never forget”? Or is the message still the same, but the last scene is intended to be a haunting image that lends the rest of the movie more weight?
I’d like to hear other people’s interpretations of the movie. If you’ve read the book, you get extra credit. As it stands now; I just don’t get what it’s saying.