Strawberry Rain 1990
Directed by
Boris Tuzanovich
Made by
Ekran
Strawberry Rain Plot Summary
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Set in 1965, during a time when Japan is on the cusp of its postwar economic rise and the Vietnam War casts a long shadow abroad, Hisa Ishii leaves his homeland to seek the American Dream in the sun-drenched Pomona Valley. He quickly finds work on a large farm owned by Frank Machida, a Nisei who survived internment in World War II and now relies on a diverse labor force that includes undocumented workers from Mexico and Japan. The grueling heat and relentless pace of farm life press on Hisa, and the isolation gnaws at him, even as he toils to build a future far from home. When his American wife cannot endure life on the farm, she leaves, deepening Hisa’s sense of loneliness and prompting him to reach out to his younger brother for help.
Akira answers the call without hesitation. He secures a green card for himself, though his immigration status remains murky on paper, and he arrives ready to pursue an education alongside his brother’s hard labor. His plan is humble and hopeful: attend a local high school to sharpen English, then aim for college, all while contributing to the family’s growing farm through back‑breaking work in the fields.
With time and effort, Hisa saves enough to buy a plot of land of his own, envisioning a thriving strawberry operation that will anchor his American life. Akira, however, encounters the rough edges of farm work, testing his resolve and his sense of belonging. The brothers watch a local figure—the homeless “blanket man”—grapple with loneliness after emigrating, wandering from place to place with only a blanket to call his fortune. This encounter becomes a mirror for their own fears: that they might drift apart spiritually or physically if the land proves too hard to conquer. The old man’s eventual reunion with his long‑lost younger brother—who speaks only broken Japanese—highlights a tension between pride and need, and after much hesitation the elder agrees to leave the road to join his brother, seeking a different kind of companionship.
Amid the labor, life outside the fields begins to bloom. Hisa is visited by Akiko, a friend from his hometown, who arrives with an Italian‑American companion named Jill. A quiet romance develops between Hisa and Jill, adding a bright strand to the family’s evolving story. Meanwhile Akira finds connection with Naoko, an older Japanese woman who is married, bringing a complex heartbeat to his coming‑of‑age journey. Despite the obstacles that naturally attend immigrant life—bureaucratic hurdles, capricious weather, and the strain of balancing love with duty—Hisa’s strawberry crop grows, and with it his confidence as a farmer and as an American.
As the seasons turn, Akira matures, learning lessons about love, loss, and the costs of pursuing a future in a new land. He earns admission to an American university, a milestone that confirms his path forward even as it reshapes his identity. Four years after leaving Japan, Hisa finds the moment he has fought toward: a proposal to Jill, who accepts with joy and the blessing of a family that has weathered prejudice and war and now stands ready to celebrate reunion and renewal. Their wedding marks a new chapter, not just for the couple but for the extended clan that remembers the harsh realities of racism and conflict while bearing witness to resilience and hope.
Together, they walk the metaphorical strawberry road into a future filled with sunlight and possibility, a quiet proclamation that the American dream, while built on hard work and endurance, can be shared across generations and borders.
Strawberry Rain Timeline
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Hisa arrives in the Pomona Valley to seek the American Dream
In 1965, Hisa Ishii emigrates from Japan to the Pomona Valley in search of a new life. He quickly finds work on Frank Machida's large farm, a Nisei who had been interned in World War II. The transition is brutal—the heat, isolation, and hard labor test his resolve from day one.
Hard labor and loneliness on the farm
Hisa endures grueling days of farming under punishing conditions. The intense heat and language barriers magnify his isolation as he tries to fit into a new community. He clings to the dream of a better future despite the costs.
Hisa marries, but his American wife leaves
Hisa forms a marriage, hoping for companionship, but his American wife cannot bear life on the farm and leaves. The departure deepens his loneliness and reinforces the strain of adapting to a new country. He continues to work toward his farm ambitions alone.
Hisa calls his brother Akira to join him in America
Seeking family support, Hisa calls his younger brother Akira and asks him to come to the United States. Akira accepts the invitation, signaling the start of a new chapter for both brothers. The plan moves from talk to actual migration, with Akira preparing to join Hisa on the farm.
Akira secures a green card and arrives in Pomona Valley
Akira obtains a green card for his status, though it remains nebulous in practice. He arrives in America with hopes of better opportunities. The brothers begin navigating a new life together in the Pomona Valley.
Akira plans to study while helping on the farm
Upon arrival, Akira intends to attend a local high school to improve his English and eventually go to college. He also works on the farm to contribute and earn his keep. His path mirrors a dual goal of education and labor.
Hisa saves enough to buy his own land
Years of toil pay off as Hisa saves enough money to acquire his own plot of land. He begins developing it with a dream of turning it into a thriving strawberry farm. The aspiration signals a turning point in his American journey.
Akira struggles on the farm and fears homelessness
Akira faces difficulties with the demanding farm work and the precarious immigrant life. He worries about becoming like the local homeless 'blanket man,' a figure who wanders in search of work. The tension between ambition and hardship colors his experience.
The blanket man reunites with his younger brother
The lonely 'blanket man' among emigrants unexpectedly reunites with his long-lost younger brother, who speaks only broken Japanese. The reunion highlights the ongoing search for family and belonging in a new land. The brothers face the choice between living together or continuing to seek work apart.
Akiko and Jill visit; love blossoms between Hisa and Jill
Hisa is visited by Akiko from their hometown and Jill, an Italian-American woman. During this time, a romance blossoms between Hisa and Jill, adding a new emotional dimension to his American life. Family blessings and memories of racism frame their union.
Akira falls for Naoko and faces heartbreak
Akira meets Naoko, an older married Japanese woman, and he falls in love. The relationship teaches him about longing, boundaries, and the complexities of life in a new country. His experiences with love begin to shape his coming-of-age journey.
Hisa grows the strawberry crop despite obstacles
Hisa nurtures a large strawberry harvest, overcoming opposition from the immigration bureau and fickle weather. The success cements his identity as a determined American farmer. His perseverance strengthens his resolve to build a future with Jill.
Akira is accepted to an American university
In time, Akira grows into adulthood and is accepted to an American university, marking a milestone in his education and integration. He learns about love and heartbreak along the way, adding depth to his personal growth. The university acceptance signals a broader future in the United States.
Hisa proposes to Jill and they wed
Four years after emigrating, Hisa proposes to Jill, and she accepts. With blessings from family members who remember racism and war, they wed. They walk together down a sunlit strawberry road, embodying their shared dream realized.
Strawberry Rain Characters
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Hisa Ishii (Ken Matsudaira)
An ambitious immigrant from Japan chasing the American Dream in a hot California farm. He toils long hours, faces isolation, and steadily builds a life through perseverance. His resilience helps him save enough to buy land, while his relationship with Jill anchors his sense of belonging. Hisa embodies quiet determination and hopeful optimism in an uncertain new world.
Akira Ishii (Tamotsu Ishibashi)
Hisa's younger brother who arrives with the goal of improving his English and pursuing education. He balances hard farm labor with high school ambitions, navigating the lure of opportunity and the fear of precarity. Akira grows from a student-in-waiting into a young man who learns about love, responsibility, and self-reliance. His journey echoes the broader quest for a stable future in America.
Jill (Mariska Hargitay)
An American woman who forms a deep connection with Hisa and becomes his life partner. Her presence acts as a bridge between cultures, offering support and companionship in a challenging environment. Their romance and eventual marriage symbolize the blending of diverse communities in mid-1960s America. Jill stands as a catalyst for belonging and shared dreams.
Naoko (Junko Sakurada)
An older married Japanese woman who forms a complicated bond with Akira. Her relationship with him adds emotional complexity and reflects how immigrants navigate longing and cultural expectations. Naoko's presence underscores the diverse, adult dimensions of diaspora life. She embodies the nuanced intersections of love, duty, and personal choice.
Frank Machida (Mako)
A Nisei who runs a large strawberry farm and hires immigrant workers. He carries memories of internment from World War II and channels them into a cautious yet compassionate leadership style. Frank provides labor opportunities and mentorship, helping Hisa and Akira pursue legitimate paths in America. His stance embodies resilience and community stewardship.
Akiko (Mari Natsuki)
A friend from Hisa's hometown who visits with Jill, reinforcing ties between the old country and the new. Akiko offers support and a sense of continuity amid upheaval, illustrating how shared roots sustain families abroad. Her presence highlights the importance of community networks for migrants.
Blanket Man (Norihei Miki)
An older, homeless immigrant known as the 'blanket man' who drifts in search of work. He personifies the loneliness and volatility of migrant life, moving from place to place with only a blanket for protection. His eventual reunion with his younger brother reveals the enduring pull of kinship and memory across distances.
Strawberry Rain Settings
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Time period
1965
Set in 1965, the narrative unfolds at the height of the Vietnam War. It sits just before Japan's postwar economic boom fully reshaped the global landscape. The period's immigration policies and wartime memories color every choice the characters make. Daily life on the farm reflects hard work, family obligations, and the quest for stability in a changing America.
Location
Pomona Valley, California, United States
Strawberry Rain unfolds in the Pomona Valley, a sun-drenched agricultural corridor in Southern California. The landscape is defined by expansive strawberry fields and farm labor under the heat. The setting anchors a story about immigrant workers building a life on American soil.
Strawberry Rain Themes
Discover the main themes in Strawberry Rain (1990). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Immigration
The story centers on transnational journeys, the struggle to secure documents, and the relentless pursuit of a steady home in a new land. It highlights how immigrant families balance labor, aspiration, and the fear of losing ground to bureaucratic hurdles. The farm becomes both a workplace and a proving ground for belonging. Through Hisa and Akira, the narrative traces how sacrifice can lay the groundwork for future roots.
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Loneliness
Loneliness threads through the isolation of migrant life and the distance from loved ones left behind. Hisa's longing for connection intensifies on long days of heat and toil, while Akira contends with the fragility of identity in a foreign environment. The Blanket Man embodies a tangible symbol of wandering and memory. The film uses solitude to explore resilience and the search for companionship.
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Love & Belonging
Romance bridges cultures as Hisa falls for Jill and Akira encounters Naoko, revealing both the challenges and rewards of cross-cultural affection. Relationships become avenues for mutual support, trust, and the creation of chosen families. Marriages and friendships push characters to redefine what 'home' means. The story suggests that love can steady the dream even amid prejudice and distance.
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Racism & Bureaucracy
The narrative situates its characters within a landscape of legal obstacles and social bias that threaten stability. Immigration status, work permits, and discrimination color daily choices and future plans. The weight of historical memory—internment, wartime trauma, and ethnic stereotypes—amplifies the characters' resolve to persevere. These tensions underscore how justice and humanity are negotiated on the margins of society.
Strawberry Rain Spoiler-Free Summary
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In the sun‑baked Pomona Valley of 1965, a wave of post‑war optimism collides with the lingering shadows of distant conflicts. The story opens on a sprawling farm that draws a mosaic of laborers—displaced Japanese Americans, undocumented Mexicans, and recent arrivals seeking a foothold in the United States. The land itself feels both generous and unforgiving, a place where the scent of ripening fruit mixes with the heat of relentless work, setting a tone that is at once hopeful and austere.
Hisa Ishii arrives from a Japan on the cusp of its economic rebirth, driven by the promise of an American Dream that seems as fragile as the seedlings he tends. Employed by Frank Machida, a Nisei farmer who rebuilt his life after wartime internment, Hisa grapples with isolation, cultural displacement, and the strain of a marriage that cannot endure the harsh farm routine. When his wife departs, he reaches across the ocean to his younger brother, hoping that shared blood might anchor his new existence.
Akira answers the call without hesitation, securing his own tenuous legal footing while dreaming of schoolrooms where English can be mastered and futures can be reshaped. He steps onto the same fields, his youthful resolve tested by the grind of harvest and the whisper of distant homes. Alongside them drifts a solitary “blanket man,” a wandering figure whose own loneliness mirrors the brothers’ fear of drifting apart—an understated reminder that the road to belonging is as winding as the rows of strawberry seedlings. The air buzzes with the promise of growth, and the brothers find themselves poised on the edge of possibility, each sunrise hinting at what the future might yield.
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