[Slate] A Society That Dismisses Victims' Protests as Deviance

Director Sang-il Lee's 'Wandering Moon' Appeals for Understanding and Empathy
Critiques Japanese Society That Does Not Tolerate Social Criticism and Resistance
Individuals Are Whole Only Beside Those Who Know the Truth

Family restaurant employees having an after-party at a karaoke room. When Kanai Sarasa (Hirose Suzu) joins late, they stop singing and gather around. With a worried expression, she shows the screen of her smartphone. "It's this... Should I tell Kanai-san? We've discussed it a lot." It is an internet encyclopedia entry explaining an incident Kanai experienced in her childhood. 'Kanai Sarasa (then 10 years old) kidnapping case.' Kanai is indifferent. It was widely reported in newspapers and broadcasts at the time, so everyone knows. However, upon checking the recently updated information, her expression darkens. 'Perpetrator Saeki Fumi, recently sighted in Matsumoto City, photo available.' "That person is the one who kidnapped Kanai-san, right?" "Wouldn't it be better to talk to the police?" "They might be nearby. Once something happens, it will be too late. Are you okay?"

Directed by Lee Sang-il, Wandering Moon is a film that appeals for understanding and empathy toward others. It is not about the worries or concerns of company colleagues. Rather, it portrays these as excessive interest and prejudice, criticizing the rigid social atmosphere. Kanai was never kidnapped. She lost her parents early and was reluctant to go to her aunt’s house, her new residence. Her cousin brother secretly entered her room every night and groped her. Kanai delayed going home by sitting on a park bench reading books late into the night. Saeki, a university student (Matsuzaka Tori), who offered her an umbrella during a sudden downpour, was like a ray of light. Living together for two months, she learned a new way of life. However, the joyful time ended when Saeki was caught by the police.

Her boyfriend Ryo Nakase (Yokohama Ryusei) and company colleagues define Kanai as a victim. They treat her with pity and caution in everything. But if you look closely, they only pretend to understand her. They even suspect Stockholm syndrome in her protective attitude toward Saeki. The more they intervene, the more Kanai’s face hardens. From the start, trapped in the victim frame, she could not form proper human relationships. On the surface, there seems to be no problem, but inside she has long been consumed by anxiety. Saeki’s life, who was falsely accused and punished, goes without saying. In Japan, criminals are surrounded by hateful gazes. Letters and calls filled with insults, graffiti are mostly anonymous. The perpetrators disperse as invisible entities within the group, acting persistently and aggressively. It is done under the name and face of society without hesitation. The internet, where anonymity is maximized, further fuels this societal rampage.

In the West, civil society is composed of individuals who have established themselves as 'persons.' It developed historically through the process of claiming rights against medieval royal authority. In Japan, individuals are created by the ambiguous concept of 'the world' (sesang). Human rights and rights are weak in 'the world.' Only interests exist. If you receive, you must return. The difference is clearly seen in individualism. The core in the West is the acceptance of social criticism and resistance. In Japan, it is hardly accepted. Cases of acceptance are dismissed as individual deviance threatening group stability. Kanai, who belatedly protects Saeki, belongs here. Having suffered so much, she reaches a state of transcendence in the novel of the same name by Nagiura Yuu.

"There is no suitable word to express the relationship between Saeki and me, no word that the world would accept. On the contrary, there are countless reasons why we should not be together. Are we strange? I hope others, not us, make that judgment. We are already not there."

This is not a monologue valid only in a special relationship. Many societies still look at victims with curious eyes. Some vaguely speculate that there is some reason why they became victims. This logic connects to the idea that victims are also at fault, generating prejudice. When one actively tries to break this, they are met with hypersensitive reactions and further attacks. In this process, media coverage acts as a catalyst. It indiscriminately exposes the victim’s privacy, fostering prejudice and stubbornness.

In Wandering Moon, the only people who know the truth are Kanai and Saeki, who are defined in a dichotomy. They are whole only by each other’s side. Transcending barriers and distinctions, their relationship is extremely close. Because they are two, not one, they will more easily regain the lost life than before. Like a shining daytime moon, even without a dark and long night. "When I am with you, wherever we go..." "Then we just drift somewhere else again."