Tin Soldier focuses on discussion of identity, loyalty and the peril involved in searching for a reason. The early scenes of the film make it tense and uneasy, constantly going from bright reality to darkly uneasy situations, setting up a world where it’s hard to trust and villains and heroes are not so different. By telling the story about the Bokushi and their program for US veterans, the film explores how both trauma and having a cause can be attractive yet turning too dark, ultimately making you feel on edge hours later.
Everyone acts wonderfully and every character seems real, as they all go through their own problems and deal with their own needs. Author Terada weaves a story that gives the Shinjas the appearance of dangerous cultists, but makes them more than just bad guys. The movie is paced expertly to continually develop suspense and the kind of atmosphere needed and the soft but attention-grabbing music boosts the drama of each scene. The images in the film are stark and confined, while some scenes are very open and surreal, all referring to the main themes of confinement and freedom inside the characters.
The most powerful lesson was what I felt the film was trying to say about purpose: there’s a thin divide between lifting others up and causing harm and how finding purpose could either save or destroy a person. Though its pacing can be hard for some and the ending leaves much to think about, these are what make the film’s key message about our nature and its hidden sides clearer. The film, “Tin Soldier,” is easily memorable because it colors your thoughts with the blurred line between acting rightly and going wrong and the sacrifices loyalty can demand.
