My Second Brother

is a 1959 Japanese drama film by Shōhei Imamura. The screenplay is based on the diary of ten-year-old zainichi (ethnic Korean Japanese) Sueko Yasumoto, which became a bestseller upon publication.

Plot

The film tells the story of four orphans living in an impoverished mining town.

Cast

• Hiroyuki Nagato as Kiichi Yasumoto, eldest brother
• Kayo Matsuo as Yoshiko, eldest sister
• Takeshi Okimura as Kōichi, second brother
• Akiko Maeda as Sueko, younger sister
• Kō Nishimura as Gorō Mitamura
• Yoshio Ōmori as Seki
• Toshio Takahara as shop assistant (bicycle shop)
• Taiji Tonoyama as Gengorō Henmi
• Shinsuke Ashida as Sakai
• Kazuko Yoshiyuki as Kanako Hori
• Shōichi Ozawa as Haruo Kanayama
• Natsuko Kahara as Kanako's mother

Reception

Film scholar Alexander Jacoby called My Second Brother an "uncharacteristically tender film" for the director.

Awards

• Mainichi Film Award – Best Supporting Actress (Kanako Hori), Best Sound (Fumio Hashimoto)
• Blue Ribbon Awards – Best Actor (Hiroyuki Nagato), Best Supporting Actor (Shōichi Ozawa)

References

External links