The Idiot Son

Feature Film - Inspired by the life and works of Kenzaburo Oe. Part of a larger series titled 'Scar Tissue' which deals with the wounds caused by interpersonal relationships and the remaining scars which bear witness to the journey towards healing.

Writer/Director - Alec Von Bargen
Lead Producer - Ewa Puszczyńska
Producers - Amra Bakšić Čamo, Yusuke Kamata, Agustina Chiarino
Co-Producer - Sandra Hagsater Watteuw
Feature Film - Fiction - 100 Minutes - Japanese, Polish, English

This feature film is being developed with the support of:
CREATIVE EUROPE MEDIA FUNDING

1963 - Hiroshima, Japan

On occasion of the approaching 20th anniversary of the nuclear bombings, renowned Japanese author, Kenzaburo Oe (29), is commissioned to travel to Hiroshima to interview, document, and archive testimonies from survivors of the tragic event; his findings to serve as a contemporary witness to the atrocities of nuclear war. The material is also intended for worldwide conferences, the first of which will take place in Warsaw, Poland, the most destroyed city in WWII and where the Soviets, under Khrushchev’s orders, are stocking nuclear warheads.

Whilst away, his wife gives birth to their firstborn; a boy born with a rare physical defect and little chance to survive.

Aguri (24), a young hibakusha (survivor of the atomic bomb) has for over 15 years lived hidden amongst the shadows of her home, shielding her severely scarred body from a society still struggling with the shame of the past. She dreams of Africa, of singing with Motown girl groups whilst growing poisonous Oleander flowers to ingest in an attempt to control her own destiny.

It is during Kenzaburo’s final interview in Hiroshima before returning to his family’s side that Kenzaburo meets Aguri; an encounter which will force him to face his own demons, will see him choose the gift of life or death for his son and ultimately, will help to inspire him to write his self-titled trilogy of 'The Idiot Son' and his most celebrated novel: 'A Personal Matter', all fundamental in him being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature: