DOCUMENTARY
Finding the Strength to Live
DOCUMENTARY
2022
60 minutes Episode(s): 1
english
Japanese
english
Japanese
2023 WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival REMI Award (Special Jury Award)
Known as the Kobe Serial Child Murders, in 1997 two children in Kyoto were brutally murdered by a 14-year-old boy who used the pseudonym Seito Sakakibara. Still a minor, by law the killer was jailed anonymously to protect his identity. Kenji Yamashita, father of one of the victims, Ayaka, still displays her calligraphy, “Strength to Live”（生きる力) written just days before her death. For decades, he avoided press inquiries surrounding the case, but has decided to share Ayaka’s story to seek closure. What is atonement? What is “Strength to Live”? This exclusive coverage of the grieving family over a period of 25 years raises critical questions.
Known as the Kobe Serial Child Murders, in 1997 two children in Kyoto were brutally murdered by a 14-year-old boy who used the pseudonym Seito Sakakibara. Still a minor, by law the killer was jailed anonymously to protect his identity. Kenji Yamashita, father of one of the victims, Ayaka, still displays her calligraphy, “Strength to Live”（生きる力) written just days before her death. For decades, he avoided press inquiries surrounding the case, but has decided to share Ayaka’s story to seek closure. What is atonement? What is “Strength to Live”? This exclusive coverage of the grieving family over a period of 25 years raises critical questions.
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