Film Review: Hachi: A dog's tale

Genre

Family

The family film aims to appeal to the wide range of ages and with the angle of the main character’s grandson as a starting to tell the story of how Hachi and Parker meet each other and what makes Hachi become his hero. This contains appropriate for all the audience to learn something on it at the same time.

Drama

Drama film presents a story with settings or life situation that portray the realistic characters in conflict with the others by using the telling the true story which reflects what had happened. It uses the incident which happens in Japan in 1935 and reflects the loyal and trust of a dog to his owner in the story.

Plot

A University professor, Parker found a poor little Akita dog at the station in the town. Its lonely figure arouses his pity, although his wife strongly disagrees with him and tried to send it away, after Parker and her daughter love it so much, she decided to adopt it and named it as ‘Hachi’. Hachi is mysterious that no one knows where it came from and when Parker asked his Japanese friend about some questions about Hachi, he mentions that it might is a fate for both of them to meet each other as Parker should adopt it and the name Hachi was given is according to the tag which came along with it.

Hachi grew up with Parker's family from a puppy and soon grown up and always accompanied Parker to work on time every day. Hachi will appear at the gate of the station at five o'clock in the evening to welcome Parker back from work. Hachi is always on time and in the eyes of the stationmaster of the town station, the hawker selling hot dogs and the bookstore owner of the nearby store, this is a picture with seeing Parker coming out of the station and calling the "Hachi" and it welcome Parker back from work with excitement has become a daily story at the station. However, on the day the Hachiko picked up the ball which he won’t usually do it, Parker was happy about it but it was also the last precious memory for both of them.

That day, Parker fall sick during classes and died because of stroke. At five o’clock in the evening, Hachi came to the train station, as usual, to wait for Parker but it didn’t know he won’t be returning. Every day, from summer to autumn, after 10 years of waiting, Hachi remains to wait for Parker and finally saw its owner, Parker in its dream while Hachi died at the same time.

Concept

The concept of this film was adapted from a true story that occurred in Japan which happens in 1935. It was the first movie was made in a Japanese version in 1987 which act by Tatsuya Nakadai and this film brings lots of sensation and gotten great feedback from the audience. The story of the film is that when in 1924 the dog, Akita Inu Hachiko was brought to Tokyo by its owner Ueno Hideshiro. Every morning, Hachiko will send Hideshiro to work by watching him went off in front of his house and in the evening he went to the Shibuya train station to welcome Hideshiro back from work. One night, Hideshiro suffered from a stroke at the university and had passed away. Although Hideshiro did not go back home, as usual, Hachiko still waited for him faithfully at the spot which he usually for ninth years until he died.

Cast

Richard Gere- Parker Wilson

Richard Gere acts as a university professor who brings a poor little Akita dog, Hachi from the train station of his hometown. He felt pity with the dog’s lonely figure and he gets help from the railway station’s management office but got rejected. He is worried about the dog when he has the thought of putting it at the animal shelter and lastly he decided to bring it back home until Hachi get to find the owner. But time passed and after getting permission from his wife, he gets to keep Hachi and be part of the family members.

Chico, Layla, Forrest- Hachi

Chico, Layla and Forest act as an honest and trustworthy Akita dog which loyal to its only owner. Hachi met his owner, Parker Wilson in a train station and it followed him home and soon be part of his family. Hachi’s daily routine is to send Parker to the station and waiting for him to go home every day without any obstacles. Even on the day, Parker fall sick, he tried to stop him to go to the station but it failed to do so as he remaining at the spot which is usually waiting for Parker. In those 10 years, every day waiting with disappointment and even it is getting older, it never gives up and keeps on waiting until it died.

Joan Allen- Cate

Joan Allen acts as Parker Wilson’s wife. In the beginning, she strongly disagrees her husband to adopt the dog and even mad of him picked it up from the station and bring back home. She tried her best to send the dog away but when after seeing her husband and daughter is so living on the dog, she finally decided to make it as part of the family member.

Cinematography Related

Point of view

A shot that shows the action through the eyes of a specific character. By using the view angle from Hachi to express the world in his eyes which showing what he is thinking and how it sees the whole journey with Parker.

Dolly Shot

By using the shot where the camera moves according to the character’s move on a dolly track. By showing the camera motion showing the next movement of the character. For example, in the scene which Parker advice Hachi to go back home by leading him a short distance of from in front of the train to the roadside.

Cross-Cutting

It’s an editing technique that cuts between multiple events which happen at the same time. This show with while Parker is still teaching in the college, Hachi is waiting for him in the house; while Parker is on the way back to his town by train, Hachi heard the voice and head forward to the train station; while the train has arrived, Hachi has prepared and waiting for the arrival of his owner.