Conflicting loyalties in pre-war Japan

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Set in Japan in 1933, Bean Cake deals with the workings of a totalitarian system in everyday life. This article discusses the significance of the film for modern Japanese historiography, especially its interpretation of the Japanese ‘totalitarian’ system. The article also examines how well the film presents such large political and historical questions both visually and as narrative.</jats:p>