Revenge and Reconciliation

The Railway Man was shown in Australia when I was visiting there last X'mas, but I never had a chance to see the film until it finally appeared in Canadian cinemas this past weekend. The film was shot in Thailand, Scotland, England and Australia and with a partial Australian production team, maybe that explained why it was shown in Australian cinemas so much in advance than North America.

I've always loved trains as a mode of transportation, and this film features some of the best shots of the railway in the countryside as old and new trains moved through the scenic villages and countryside throughout the years. The railway scenes were mostly shot in West Lothian, Scotland, and in the Ipswich Railway Workshops in Queensland, Australia. The English, Scottish and Australian countryside scenes were also breathtakingly beautiful.

The film is a psychodrama based on the true story and memoirs written by the former British Prisoner of War Eric Lomax. Like many others, Lomax was tortured during the Second World War by his Japanese foes and suffered from post-traumatic disorder after the war. He went back to seek revenge, but, instead, reconciled with his Japanese torturer and moved on with his life.

The torturing scenes were difficult to watch, but if you managed to stomach 12 Years A Slave, you should be able to sit through this film. My first impression after seeing this movie was that the current Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, should watch this movie and learn that in order for reconciliation to happen, one needs to first acknowledge the war crimes that have been committed. Other film critics have commented that perhaps former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney should be seeing this movie to see the terrible impact of the "waterboarding torture" on the lives of prisoners of war. But, in reality, neither Abe nor Cheney has any remorse about what they've done and that remains a problem.

The plot is quite incredulous, but it's based on a true story which makes the film touching in many ways. Lomax was a railway enthusiast even though he's a soldier. Trains and railways became a major part of his adult life - it's ironical that his personal demons tormenting his middle years were caused by his capture during the war to build The Burma Railway. Yet, he found love on the train where he met his wife and he reconciled with his captor and torturer on the Burmese railway track when he went back to confront his former Japaense rival.

Colin Firth, in his usual elegant, understated way, plays a very convincing and tormented Lomax. He's a lonely soul for most of the time standing alone on deserted beaches and bridges. The heavy fog in most of the scenes enhanced his sadness and inner struggles. His big, heavy glasses became part of his link between the past and present. The young British actor from Cambridge, Jeremy Irvine, also did an outstanding job in portraying the young, geeky Lomax. Nicole Kidman, for the first time, is less irritating in in this movie playing a dowdy, middle-aged woman.

I've never heard of the director Jonathan Teplitzky before this movie, but he's done a great job with The Railway Man which took 15 years to develop. Many women audiences in the cinema were bawling towards the end of the movie, but I found this film encouraging rather than sad and depressing!