Akahige (Red Beard) – Well Scene

“There’s a belief that if you call into the well, you can call a dying person back. Wells lead to the bottom of the earth.”

Warning: This post is somewhat depressing. Please avoid it if you don’t want to ruin your good mood.

Akahige (Red Beard) is the last black and white film by Akira Kurosawa. It looks at many issues including life and death, relationship between physicians and patients, and social problems. The film has many great scenes, but today, a poignant well scene at the end of the movie came to my mind.

The entire family decided to commit suicide and drank poison, including a young boy, but he didn’t know what was really going on. People find him still alive, but his condition is unstable. Young girl who knew the boy calls into the well and others join her. He eventually recovers.

The boy didn’t decide to end his life, he was just following what his family told him. However, some young people consciously make such a decision and even plan for it in advance. Unfortunately, their mind remains clouded, despite efforts by other people to reach them. They are so young and have so much potential, yet they still succumb to darkness. Only people are left to wonder what else they could have done to prevent it… I wish I could call that well, but such a thing as well as the person do not exist anymore…