Film Matters: Please tell us about your article that is being published in Film Matters.
Dylan O’Connell: “Nagisa Ōshima’s Essayistic Exploration of Japan’s ‘Korean Problem’” analyzes four films by Japanese filmmaker Nagisa Ōshima: Forgotten Soldiers (1963), Diary of Yunbogi (1965), Death by Hanging (1968), and Three Resurrected Drunkards (1968). The analysis of these films focuses on their use of essay film techniques to highlight various aspects of the “Korean problem.” The “Korean problem” refers to the animosity between the two countries that stems from Japan’s imperial legacy and contemporary exploitation of their neighbors. A summary of theorists’ descriptions on essay film is provided to serve as a foundation from which Ōshima’s films can be analyzed.
FM: What research and/or methodologies do you incorporate in your article?
DO: Maureen Cheryn Turim’s book The Films of Oshima Nagisa: Images of a Japanese Iconoclast was the starting point of my research. It listed and delved into every work of Ōshima’s, allowing me to familiarize myself with his films and the issues presented in them. The films available to me were limited by whatever I was able to locate online, but fortunately Criterion has several of Ōshima’s films streaming and I discovered Forgotten Soldiers on YouTube. To establish a working definition of essay film, I referenced works from Timothy Corrigan, Nora M. Alter, and Jean-Pierre Gorin. This article was always intended to be about how Ōshima utilized essay film techniques, but the follow-up question was, “To what end?” The connecting “Korean problem” thread was mentioned in Turim and several other articles, but it was also an unavoidable theme from the four films I watched. Having recently traveled to Japan and South Korea, as well as being a fan of world history and geopolitics, I was familiar with the issues between the two countries and amenable to Ōshima’s messaging about the “Korean problem.”
FM: Describe the original context for/when writing this article while an undergraduate student.
DO: This article was originally my final paper for my senior film seminar class on essay film at Keene State College (KSC). The professor was my faculty mentor Dr. Irina Leimbacher. She knew I recently studied abroad in Japan and provided me with Turim’s book on Ōshima after we watched Death by Hanging in class. If not for her guidance, I do not think I would have chosen to write about Ōshima as an essay filmmaker.
FM: How have your personal experiences shaped and influenced your writing?
DO: There are two distinct moments that altered how I wrote research papers. The first was an extensive research paper I wrote for an ethics course at community college in which almost every sentence was cited. This practice of extensively researching a subject, but injecting little of my own opinion, carried over into my studies at KSC. My second semester at KSC challenged this method of writing by requiring more of my own opinion and analysis. Previous papers required plenty of evidence, but writing about film required that evidence to be supported by persuasive arguments and explanations of my own. Thus, the second moment that shaped my writing was really my entire study at KSC, because my teachers had to draw my opinions and analysis out of the cited information presented. This article is the summation of my developed researching skills and analytical skills
FM: What aspects of the writing process were most challenging? Why?
DO: The most challenging aspect of writing for me is focusing on what I am writing. I generally try to multitask by catching up on films or television while I am writing, but most of the time doing so hinders my ability to write well.
FM: What do you enjoy most about your article?
DO: My secret is I do not enjoy anything I write. It is not that I think the topics I write about are uninteresting; but whenever I look back at an article or essay, I see where I cut material, did not explain something well, or could have expanded on a subject. The films analyzed for this article are dense with information and could easily be looked at in four separate articles. However, that said, I did my best to isolate the important moments of essay filmmaking in each film without spoiling the experience for those who may watch them after reading the article. My favorite part of the article may be the section on Forgotten Soldiers because it addresses the remnants of the Japanese Imperial Army from World War II and highlights the little-known issue of Koreans who served in that army.
FM: How has the Film Matters editorial and publication process impacted the development/evolution of your article?
DO: The feedback from Film Matters reviewers on my article was immensely beneficial in challenging me to improve my work. On the one hand, some were complimentary, which was reassuring and supported my own confidence in my work; on the other hand, others found errors and gave sound advice about adding pictures, focusing on specific aspects of the films, and reorganizing paragraphs. Balanced feedback is hard to come by, but the reviewers at Film Matters provided some of the best I have ever received.
FM: What audience do you hope to reach with your Film Matters article and/or what impact do you hope it has on the field of film studies?
DO: I hope this article reaches those who are interested in Japanese cinema, essay film, or general history. I hope its impact is to raise awareness of Nagisa Ōshima as well as the variety of ways essay filmmaking can be utilized to disrupt film form and force audiences to confront social issues such as discrimination.
FM: How has your department and/or institution supported your work in film and media?
DO: As already addressed, the Film Department at KSC developed my critical analysis skills and taught me how to balance them with extensive research. However, my progression as a film analyst only occurred after taking a film production course and determining that I did not have the wherewithal to coordinate a production. Furthermore, the variety of film classes that dealt with the depiction of subjects on film (e.g., American wilderness, the apocalypse, the Holocaust) sparked the desire to write about films that dealt with interesting subjects, such as Ōshima and the “Korean problem.”
FM: How has your faculty mentor fostered your advancement as a film scholar?
DO: Dr. Irina Leimbacher was essential in guiding me away from a production or screenwriting degree and into a critical studies education that suited my analytical and writing skills. As stated, she also directed my attention toward Nagisa Ōshima in her essay film course and helped guide my senior research project on Netflix. Finally, after graduating, she has continued supporting me by exchanging emails about sources and serving as an invaluable reference in the job market. I could not have asked for a better mentor.
FM: What advice do you have for undergraduate film and media scholars?
DO: Build relationships with all the film teachers and as many of your fellow students as possible. Having an extensive campus network will allow for more people to provide feedback or assistance on essays and films. Also, take classes unrelated to film. For example, I enrolled in a geography course that expanded my interest in geopolitics and consequently my interest in how geopolitical issues are presented on film.
FM: What are your future plans?
DO: As the author biography below will repeat, I am awaiting the easement of air travel restrictions so I may return to Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. Until that occurs, I will continue studying and writing about film in the free time between domestical travels and the occasional work.
Author Biography
Dylan O’Connell is a graduate of the Keene State College film studies program whose research paper on Netflix was published online by Film Matters. He is teaching English in Japan to high school students. And, in his spare time, he writes entertainment analyses that are shared on dylankoconnell.wordpress.com.
