夢は牛のお医者さん 「YUME WA USHI NO OISHASAN」
Running Time: 86 mins.
Release Date: March 29th, 2014
Director: Yoshiaki Tokita
Writer: N/A
Starring: Tomomi Maruyama, Yui Yokoyama (Narrator)
This remarkable documentary charts 26 years in the life of Tomomi Maruyama.
As a child living in Matsudai town, Niigata Prefecture, she was one of nine pupils in her small elementary school who welcomed three calves which were to be treated as new students in 1987. She and her friends took care of and spent time with the animals and that experience inspired her to be a veterinarian.
Director Tokita, initially drawn to the story as part of a regional news crew doing a piece on a school keeping livestock, decided to document Matsudai town when he heard that the school would be shut in four year’s time due to a declining population. When he met, Tomomi, his plans changed again as the girl’s dream to become a veterinarian provided a perfect hook for a film, especially with someone as conscientious and pure.
Certainly, his early encounters with Tomomi and her classmates show kids who totally adore the animals and treat them with respect and friendship, a theme that lasts throughout the film which follows her as she earned her degree at Iwate University’s Veterinary Department, a highly competitive place, her early days on the job as she navigates being a woman in a traditionally male space, getting married and having children and continuing her work as a highly-respected vet.
Taking a chronological approach to the story, there’s a wealth of primary source material ranging from children’s drawings and photographs starting from 1987., to home video footage and footage taken by Tokita’s own crew. There are interviews with parents and children over the years and also footage sourced from news items. The changes in aspect ratio and graininess give a sense of nostalgia, especially when coupled with the sight of a town coming together to give the children a unique learning/life experience as we see how the kids and cows lived together at the school and grew over the years in terms of size and friendships.
Elders, parents, teachers, and kids all get involved in school activities and it is sweet to see. Amidst this uplifting example of “it takes a village to raise a child,” the film provides an ethnographic study as we get history and social changes in the town and sights of hard winters. However, the way people take care of the kids and the animals is what is foremost and it provides tear-fuel. I guarantee that you will cry at least once during the first half at seeing the innocence and love.
Kids crying is manipulative material, especially with sentimental music and treacly narration guiding our emotions. However I set aside cynicism quickly and I got caught up in sequences showing them having innocent fun with the animals and earnestly showing their sadness over their farewell at an emotional graduation. Seeing the genuine heartfelt emotions of the kids as they struggle to read out farewells to the cows, tears streaming down their faces was brutal and had me crying! The bond between Tomomi and her charges is movingly shown on screen with her hugging the animals she cares for, a profound connection caught in slow motion and with music that swells to convey emotionality of the image. There are also diary entries and drawings that, in their naivety, shows Tomomi’s unwavering love for animals.
It is inspiring seeing her achieve her goals in a “gambatte” style through hard work and the film keeps returning to sights of a supportive community, Tomomi’s caring parents, and how her determination to succeed is born from a genuine love of animals and from the wider love of the community.
The film is also beautiful with regards to the cushioning material that occurs between sequences. Shots of landscapes in the four-seasons and it lends a sort of idyllicissm to the story. Also, the sight of changing fashions and technology is another shot of nostalgia.
Overall, this is a moving documentary. So simple and yet profoundly moving as it offers a positive view of humans and nature. It never gets too sentimental or hagiographic as it shows that Tomomi and others are aware that the animals have economic value and that they sometimes have to set aside their emotions but, regardless, the people on screen do radiate the sort of care and attention to life that is sorely needed in this world. That’s what makes this film really worth watching!
So, grab your hankies and check this film out. At just over an hour, it flows by and radiates positivity. It is really well constructed, considering the wealth of material, and you do get an insight into the life of its subject. I wish I had Tomomi’s determination!
You can watch it as part of JFF+ and I highly recommend that you do for a refreshing experience.