It is both refreshing and sad to know Japan sucks just as much as we do when it comes to decent immigration policies; it is a shame, and, yet, there it is – “hey, hey, look! We’re close-minded idiots, too. We have happily given in to the bigots and the trolls.” Ahhh, we’re not alone. Assholes are everywhere; it’s a wonder anyone moves these days.
Sarya (Lina Arashi) is a teenager who is soon going to have to live a very adult life. With no mom around, Sarya has already taken on several family burdens including translating for her Japanese-challenged father. Sarya is Kurdish; they are a family of refugees no longer welcome in their home country. They have made a life in Japan. For Sarya, it’s a good one; she’s an excellent student, has a part-time job, and takes care of her younger siblings in lieu of mom. Sarya dreams of college and might even be falling for a boy. A Japanese boy. A Japanese non-Muslim boy.
We want Sarya’s lovelife to be the conflict of this film. Wouldn’t that be nice? A standard coming-of age where Sarya learns a little about life and love and choices? Yes, that would be nice. That’s a different film.
Dad works. Off the books. Caught in a wrong place/wrong time scenario, dad finds himself in jail and his family loses asylum status. Looks like Japan wants a Kurdless diet, knowwhatI’msayin’?
What’s left? Well, 17-year-old Sarya is now the breadwinner as long as she can hold her part time job … and her family has to get out of Dodge, or Datsun as the case may be. See? Now don’t you wish this were about Sarya’s lovelife?
I doubt I’ll ever see Lina Arashi again and that’s a shame, because she portrayed one of the most moving heroines of 2022. And all of this underscores terrible immigratio
n policies everywhere. My Small Land is a Japanese film intended to play for Japanese audiences, but these issues are exactly the same ones we have here. Is it difficult to imagine Sarya’s family is from Honduras and will likely be killed if they ever return? Not at all. United States policies guarantee they have no home here, either. Sadly, I can imagine a hundred different scenarios where Sarya’s ethnicity is at odds with US policy. This film isn’t about Japan; it’s about decency.
At some point in your own educational enlightenment, you realize that immigration is strength, not weakness. Any crime, infringement, or indiscretion that occurs as a result of immigration is more than atoned, nay compensated, by what immigration brings. You WANT to be a country people flock to, not flee from. But fear doesn’t work that way. And My Small Land illustrates exactly the price of fear; it is a shame that none of the people who live by such a code will ever see a film like this.
There once was a refugee Kurd
Who encountered a milieu absurd
Booted from Japan
Sans home, dough, or plan
Conclusion: life is simply one big cow turd
Not Rated, 114 Minutes
Director: Emma Kawawada
Writer: Emma Kawawada
Genre: ♪It’s no fun being an illegal ali-un♫
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Liberals
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: “BUILD THE WALL! BUILD THE WALL!”
