With this weak, tepid brew of message movie and family drama, the sensei moves further away than ever from his trademark imagistic energy toward the contemplative style of previous Japanese masters. (Even the title recalls Ozu.) In this tri-generational story, four children vacation with their grandmother (Sachiko Murase) in the country outside Nagasaki while their parents visit a granduncle and his half-American son (Richard Gere) in Hawaii.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge in his book, "The Test of Our Times, " writes that an "election-eve drama was being played out at the highest levels of our government" after bin Laden released a pre-election message critical of Bush.