Army on the Tree

Directed by Kazuhiro Taira

That day, we were the only two troops left on this island.

1945, the end of the Pacific War. On Ie Island, Okinawa, the Japanese army had taken devastating damage after a fierce battle with the US forces. Yamashita Kazuo, a senior officer sent from Miyazaki Prefecture, and a local Okinawan recruit, Agena Seijun, are cornered under heavy enemy fire and flee into the forest, where they climb to the top of a large banyan tree for shelter. The banyan tree, with its thick branches and lush foliage, provides the perfect hiding place, but the bodies of his comrades continue to pile up under the tree, and the enemy's position grows larger and closer by the day. With no means of communication, the two men endure a 'lonely war' in the tree for two years, waiting for reinforcements to arrive. However, what they did not know was that the war had already ended. And they find themselves in an extreme situation... (Source: JFDb)