Policeman's Diary

Set and filmed in the mountain regions of Fukushima, Policeman's Diary looks at Japanese peasants through the eyes of several policemen. Life seems to be untainted by the outside world and looks rather similar to the pre-war countryside of Mr. Thank You (Shimizu) or Hideko the Bus Conductress (Naruse). But underneath this idyllic landscape are harshness, poverty and bureaucracy. There are children found abandoned in the toilet of a train bound for Tokyo. A young woman who has worked (read: hooked) in Tokyo, moves back and runs into an old flame at the police station. A 19-year old girl is sold by her remorseless mother. Finally there's a local boy who comes back as the Trade Minister of Japan. Our warm and kind policemen ensure that a gleam of hope can always be found. Jo Shishido made his screen debut with this film.