Tree Without Leaves 1986

Tree Without Leaves 1986
Rakuyôju (original title)
1h 45min | Drama | 15 November 1986 (Japan)
Storyline:
Haru, an aging scriptwriter, has isolated himself somewhere in the woods of Nagano to work on his first novel. As the last surviving member of his kin, he intends to chronicle the family he grew up in.
User review:
Its a common story: a human damaged by parents. Its common enough in life to resonate with nearly every viewer, which is a plus. But its so common that it needs some novelty with the similarly required depth. I do not know whether this is from Shindo's life or not, but I suspect so from the rich details that can only have been pulled from life as obvious memories.
The story is simple. A boy has a mother who is dedicated to him in every way, emotionally engaged and prepared for extreme sacrifice for the smallest pleasure for him. On the other side is a father so stern he makes Bergman's Scandinavian Lutherans seem mild. The mother dies when the boy is 11; all the siblings have fled and the boy at the end is stuck with his father, penniless. The thing is framed as the book the boy writes, now old and missing key parts of his soul. Lots of snow. Lots of lonely stares that contrast with the wide eyes of the boy, selfish and demanding.