After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the federal government ordered the evacuation and relocation of 110,000 Japanese-Americans; over half were children. Without due process, property was confiscated, families were separated, and law abiding American citizens were forced into concentration camps. In some cases, Japanese-American children were traded to Japan for prisoners of war. After the war a wall of silence descended on the subject, and the children were left to deal with emotions of shame, anger, and feelings of betrayal and abandonment. This video, recently aired on PBS, attempts to tear down this wall. Dr. Satsuki Ina, born in an internment camp and now a psychotherapist, runs three day workshops for camp survivors, encouraging them to share their stories with one another. Of the six survivors interviewed, one was abused as a child, while another lost his father to suicide. On a more positive note, one woman uses the therapy of art to reclaim her past. The video's first half is compelling as survivors discuss painful memories, often clashing over their assessments of what it's like to live in a country they feel has rejected them. The second half, less compelling because it seems so familiar, has an encounter group tone as Dr. Ina urges survivors to get in touch with their inner child. At video's end, survivors liken themselves to the driftwood they find at the edge of the ocean; they have weathered the storms, and endured. A decent candidate for discussion groups and academic collections, this is a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)
Children of the Camps
(1999) 57 min. $225. NAATA. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 14, Issue 5
Children of the Camps
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