The opening title of Un Certain Regard at Cannes last year, Arthur Harari’s epic adventure Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle finally hit U.S. theaters last year month and now will land on VOD next month. Following the true story of a Japanese soldier who refused to believe that World War II had ended and continued to fight on a remote Philippine island until 1974, there’s been much acclaim for the nearly three-hour film. Ahead of the December 13th VOD release, the new U.S. trailer has now arrived.
C.J. Prince said, “Arthur Harari’s Onoda (subtitled 10,000 Nights in the Jungle) tells the true story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier stationed on the island of Lubang in the Philippines circa 1944. When news came of Japan’s surrender he refused to believe it and spent the next three decades in seclusion, refusing to leave his post (he finally left in 1974, when his former commanding officer was flown in to relieve him of duties). It’s an extraordinary tale that poses the challenge of conveying its central character’s superhuman levels of devotion and denial, which Harari takes on by going long.”
He adds, “With a runtime of more than 160 minutes, Harari takes time to establish and develop the story, opting for a total immersion in the jungle environment and a dedication to realism that makes it hard not to eventually give yourself over to the film with a full level of commitment. Onoda’s ability to sweep viewers up into its detail and realism makes its final act come as a sort of shock, as the inevitable ending to this long chapter of Onoda’s life reveals a strong emotional undercurrent that comes seemingly out of nowhere in its moving finale.”
See the new trailer below.
Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle arrives on December 13.