American Pastime (2007)

Director:

Desmond Nakano

Writers (WGA):

Desmond Nakano (screenplay) &
Tony Kayden (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 May 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Asian Man White Woman Relationship

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Aaron Yoo	...	Lyle Nomura
Olesya Rulin	...	Cathy Reyes
Carlton Bluford	...	Lester Johnson
Sami Roe	...	Jimmy Gorney
Masatoshi Nakamura	...	Kaz Nomura
Leonardo Nam	...	Lane Nomura
Judy Ongg	...	Emi Nomura
Gary Cole	...	Billy Burrell
Charles Halford	...	Corporal Norris
Big Budah	...	Bambino Hirose (as Leroy 'Big Buddha' Teo)
Kerry Yo Nakagawa	...	Jumbo Tanaka
Junko Yamamoto	...	Junko Tanaka
Kale Nakagawa	...	Kale Takeshita
Tod Huntington	...	Corporal Mack
Jeff Herr	...	Director Watson

Runtime:

USA:105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Copperton, Utah, USA

Company:

American Pastime

Soundtrack:

Shabon-dama

A Brighter Side of Dark

American history has some dark moments. The internment camps involving 10,000 or so Japanese-Americans is one of these dark moments. As a teacher, most of what I have encountered on the subject is bleak documentary, and I had to really press myself to check out this DVD from the library. I am so glad I did. This movie honors those who suffered the indignities of wrongful paranoid prejudice. Harsh words, but in retrospect that's what it came down to. The director put together a movie that follows two families and their experiences during their internment time at Topaz, located in Utah. One family is Japanese-American, and the other is the point of view of the white "all American" family, the father, one of the soldiers based at the camp. The movie is all about dignity, doing what is right, and letting go of the wrongs. The centerpiece of using baseball, the American Pastime, adds the lighter moments to the movie. Overall, the movie is well-done, well-acted, and delivers illuminating historical information. I truly had no idea that so many Japanese-Americans willingly joined the service during WWII. The special features mini-doc is a must see. A family movie, although there is some language, it is recommended viewing.