This spring, Emmy-winning actor and director Bill Hader wrapped up the HBO series “Barry” after four seasons. He recently discovered the 1987 investigative-journalism doc “The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On” directed by Kazuo Hara on The Criterion Channel.
The film follows World War II veteran Kenzo Okuzaki as he tries to expose the atrocities committed by the Japanese military during WWII and force former military members to admit their complicity. The 62-year-old Okuzaki often resorts to extreme measures to find out the truth about what happened to two soldiers from his battalion executed by their commanders.
While he calls it a tough watch, Hader says “Army” is “one of the best documentaries” he’s ever seen and “essential.”
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This segment has been edited for length and clarity.
[“The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On”] is basically a documentary about a Japanese soldier from World War II, who was part of a platoon. Once the Japanese surrendered, soldiers in his platoon tried to leave, and they were shot and killed by the generals who were ordered to execute them.
It's now in the 1980s, 40 years later, and this guy, this soldier is going around with a camera crew and he's finding these generals, bringing the members of the family of these soldiers who were killed, and he's making them tell the families what they did, and if they don't, if they refuse to, he beats them up.
You’re basically watching this guy, these World War [II] veterans, and the wounds are still there. The wounds are still fresh, and you get to see the psychology of that war. Also, the most interesting thing for me about the movie is, is he insane? Or is what he’s doing a virtuous thing? And it's a very thin line.
