5. Battle Royale (The Japanese Education System)
Battle Royale is a great film in which a group of Japanese students are forced into a deadly game by the government in which they must kill each other, over the course of three days, until only one of them remains.
On the face of it, it’s a brutal, sadomasochistic piece that serves to shock – something reflective in the fact that it was banned in numerous countries – but it also serves as a metaphor for the tough Japanese education system. It is said that the strict system warps the characters of Japanese students, expects far too much from them and has actually subtly encouraged bullying among children. Whether or not those accusations are true, it’s a stern message to the authority figures in the system that they should perhaps loosen up a little.
Discussion about this post