Persona Non Grata (2015 film)

Persona Non Grata (杉原千畝 スギハラチウネ) is a 2015 Japanese biographical drama film directed by Cellin Gluck. It depicts the life of Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara who was appointed a vice-consul and later a consul in Lithuania and served there from 1939 to 1940 and who saved lives of some 6,000 Jewish refugees by issuing transit visas to the Japanese Empire.

Even though most of the film is set in Interwar Lithuania, various places in Poland were chosen for filming. The Polish cargo ship SS Sołdek also appeared in the movie.

Plot
In 1955, a Jewish man named Nyiszli comes to the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in search of Chiune "Senbo" Sugihara, a man who once saved his life. An officer named Ichiro Sekimitsu, who acommondates Nyiszli, responses that "There is no such diplomat called 'Senbo Sugihara'". Disappointed, Nyiszli left the Ministry after he left a word that he will find Sugihara overall.

Back to 1934, Sugihara, who was once a staff member at the Manchuria Ministry of Foreign Affairs, proceeds espionage activity with Russia accomplices Irina and Maret, in order to gain the upper hand in the negotiation of Chinese Eastern Railway rights between Manchuria and the Soviet Union. Although Sugihara's party successfully captured the Soviet army's evidence of stealing the locomotive, Kingo Minamikawa, a superior of Sugihara and one of the Kwantung Army, suddenly ordered the killings of the Soviet army and Maret. Enraged and disappointed over the doings of Kwantung Army, Sugihara resigned from Manchuria Ministry and returned to Japan. Sugihara is then assigned to be the Japanese Ambassador of Soviet Union and prepares heading to Moscow, Russia.

In surprise of Sugihara, the Soviets listed him as "Persona Non Grata" due to the incidents in Manchuria and rejected his arrival to Moscow. Disappointed, Sugihara goes drinking with his friend Shizuo Kikuchi, where he meets Shizuo's younger sister Sachiko. The two then fall in love and get married.

In 1939, at the beginning of the World War II, Sugihara is assigned as a diplomat in Kaunas, Lithuania, and to spy on the moves of the Soviets. Soon after Sugiharas' arrival, the Soviets and Nazi Germany form Nazi–Soviet Pact, and the Nazi army then invades Poland. Sugihara soon begins intelligence activity with Pesh, a Polish spy who voluntarily invites. When they analyze the intels, they realize the Soviets and the Nazis plan to divide the whole East Europe, yet the Japanese stays doing nothing despite Sugihara's reports.

In 1940, the Soviets occupy Baltic countries. The Jewish people including Nyiszli, who escaped from Germany's Nazi regime, plan to escape the Europe through the Soviet lands, but encounter obstacles while the Soviets shut down the countries' consulates, which the Jewish have to apply the transit visas. They finally find Jan Zwartendijk, a businessman and acting consul of the Netherlands, who agrees to issue visas to them. Still, the Jewish people have to grant the visas issued by Japan which their escape route is via the Far East. Many Jews come to the Japanese consulate to request visa, however, due to the orders from the Ministry, Sugihara is forbidden to issue visas to them. Later, Sugihara finally changes of his heart when he saw the doings of Zwartendijk and the miserable situation of the Jewish, issues visas as much as possible until his whole family leaves Lithuania. The Jews end up successfully escape to the foreign through Japan.

After leaving Lithuania, Sugihara is then assigned to Königsberg, East Prussia. Sugihara and Pesh discover the German army prepares to invade the Soviet land at its border, and Sugihara immediately reports to Hiroshi Oshima, the Ambassador of Japan in Germany. But Sugihara's report is then dismissed by Oshima, who still in fantasy of Hitler's regime. After the Nazis declares war to the Soviets, Sugihara is then ordered to leave the country immediately and assigned to Romania. Before departure, Sugihara leaves Oshima a warning that Japan will lose the war if they declare it to the United States. Sugihara then bids farewell to Pesh, who decides to go back to Poland to fight for his country.

In 1945, after the surrender of Japan, the Sugihara family has been captured in a captive camp in the Soviet Union. Sugihara then receives the letters, with the news of surrender, and which comes from Irina. She thanks to Sugihara who saved numerous Jewish lives and changed their fate with his decision of issuing visas. Sugihara breaks his tears after reading the letters.

27 years later, in 1972, a resigned Sugihara from the Ministry, works at a merchandising company in Moscow, finally reunites with Nyiszli, and they happily remember their past on the streets. The end titles reveal Sugihara receives Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel in 1985, in the recognition of his righteous doings of saving Jews. Sugihara then deceases of his heart disease in July 31, 1987 at the age of 86. In 2000, the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs restores his honor and establishes his ceremony plaque in Sugihara's memory.

Cast

 * Toshiaki Karasawa – Chiune Sugihara
 * Koyuki – Yukiko Sugihara (Chiune's wife)
 * Borys Szyc – Pesh (ペシュ Pesshu)
 * Agnieszka Grochowska – Irina (イリーナ Irīna)
 * Fumiyo Kohinata – Ambassador Oshima
 * Cezary Łukaszewicz – Wolfgang Gudze (グッジェ Gujje)
 * Michał Żurawski – Nyiszli (ニシェリ Nisheri)
 * Zbigniew Zamachowski – Avraham Goehner (ガノール社長 Ganōru-shachō)
 * Andrzej Blumenfeld – Chaim Rosenthal
 * Takashi Tsukamoto – Minamikawa (南川欽吾)
 * Gaku Hamada - Tatsuo Osako (大迫辰雄 Ōsako Tetsuo)
 * Wenanty Nosul – Jan Zwartendijk
 * Ken'ichi Takito - Ichiro Sekimitsu (関満一朗 Sekimitsu Ichirō)
 * Satoshi Nikaido - Saburo Nei (根井三郎 Nei Saburō)

Production

 * Cellin Gluck – Director

Release
As a premiere in Poland, it was an opening film at the Warsaw Jewish Film Festival.

The North American premiere was part of the 2016 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) with five screenings, one each at five of the festival venues. The first screening was 31 January 2016 at SCADshow.

Reception
The film grossed US$1.2 million on its opening weekend in Japan.