Nelson san, anata wa hito wo koroshimashitaka? (Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?)

Allen Nelson was born into a poor family in New York and joined the Marine Corps at the age of eighteen to escape discrimination and poverty. After serving at Camp Hansen in Okinawa, he was sent to the front lines of the Vietnam War in 1966, believing he could become a proud soldier like the war heroes seen in films. But what awaited him there was not glory. On the grounds that the Viet Cong had infiltrated villages, people of all ages were treated as suspects and killed one after another. It was a terrifying and gruesome reality in which he was forced to kill. As Allen took more and more lives, his mind gradually became desensitised.
When he returned home at the age of twenty-three, what awaited him were agonising days and sleepless nights, spent haunted by memories of the battlefield. Terrified by loud noises and the dark, his relationships with his family fell apart, and he eventually became homeless. The only thread keeping him connected to the world was Dr. Daniels, a psychiatrist working at a veterans’ hospital, who provided him with counselling and support.

When I was adapting Fires on the Plain for the screen, I read a wide range of materials, but the most terrifying work of non-fiction I encountered was Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? Allen Nelson killed many people during the Vietnam War. He was plagued by the aftermath of the war for the rest of his life. While it is natural to fear becoming a victim of war, this story makes us realise that becoming a perpetrator is just as terrifying. Soldiers who have committed acts of violence rarely speak about their experiences after returning home, but Allen chose to speak honestly, thereby giving meaning to his own life. In doing so, he helped many people understand the reality of war. I, too, am one of those who came to understand the true horror of war in this way. Given the current state of the world, it seemed to me that bringing his story back to life was the most urgent priority, and with the support of many sympathetic people, I was able to take on this difficult task. I sincerely hope that the audience will embrace his way of life and his message.

PRODUCTION 1:
KINOSHITA GROUP CO., LTD - Naoya Kinoshita
Shinjuku i-Land Tower 30F 6-5-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku
163-1330 Tokyo, Japan
Tel: +81 3 6459 2998
E-mail: yukiko-tanigawa@kinofilms.jp
Web: https://www.kinoshita-group.co.jp

PRODUCTION 2:
KINO FILMS CO., LTD - Yumiko Takebe
Shinjuku i-Land Tower 29F 6-5-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku
163-1329 Tokyo, Japan
Tel: +81 3 6459 2998
E-mail: y-takebe@kinofilms.jp
Web: https://kinofilms.jp

PRODUCTION 3:
Cross Media International - Christopher Frey
One Avenue of the Palms, Suite 414
Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA 94130, United States of America
Tel: +1 415 869 8664
E-mail: chris@cmi-inc.com
Web: https://www.crossmediainternational.com
Social Media: @crossmediainternational – Instagram

WORLD SALES:
KINO FILMS CO., LTD - Masumi Handa
Shinjuku i-Land Tower 29F 6-5-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku
163-1329 Tokyo, Japan
Tel: +81 3 6459 2998
E-mail: masumi-handa@kinofilms.jp
Web: https://kinofilms.jp

PRESS OFFICE:
Emma Eliades, Manlin Sterner, Cheryl Mayer – Team PR
E-mail: MrNelson@teampr.co.uk