“Under the Blood-Red Sun” is a well-acted and powerful film. It is set in 1941 in Hawaii and is about a young man named Tomikazu “Tomi” Nakaji (well played by Kyler Sakamoto) and his family, as well as his good friend Billy Davis (Kalama Epstein). The movie is based on a book by Graham Salisbury. The story leads up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, a day that, as President Roosevelt says on the radio, “will live in infamy.”
Tomi and Billy and the other boys live a normal life. They go to school and play baseball. Tomi must deal with the local bully, Keet Wilson. Life is pretty routine until the news spreads about the imminent attack of the Japanese. Tomi’s grandfather (Dann Seki) is loyal to his own country and attempts to unfurl the Japanese flag as Tomi constantly makes him put it away for fear of retribution from the locals. But when the Japanese actually do attack, the entire family will have to suffer the consequences from just being Japanese. Tomi’s father (Chris Tashima) is wrongfully taken prisoner, and Tomi’s mother (Autumn Ogawa) must be both father and mother while her husband is held prisoner at a camp. Will Tomi’s father be released, and can life ever return to normal again?
We are happy to award this gripping film our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for ages 12-plus.