SINKING OF JAPAN
Director: Shinji Higuchi
Cast: Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Etsushi Toyokawa, Mao Daichi, Kenji Ishizaka, Ko Shibasaki
Prelude: The islands of Japan are located in the earthquake and volcano zone known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. The fear of being wiped out by natural disasters is, unsurprisingly, a common theme in Japanese literature and films.
The story: Based on the best-selling novel by Sakyo Komatsu, Japan Sinks, which was written in 1973, the film portrays Japan's last days.
It is generally believed that the Japanese archipelago will sink in about 40 years, but one scientist says it will happen a lot sooner. As in most disaster movies, the government ignores the warning. The catastrophe occurs within a year.
Our hero, the young scientist, sacrifices his life for his country and woman he loves. He detonates several strategically placed explosives deep beneath the sea to cause the plate that is dragging Japan down to separate.