A Japanese filmmaker’s harrowing exploration of the Vietnam War

“Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?” is the latest film directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. It carries a strong antiwar message. | MATT SCHLEY

Sep 10, 2026

Shinya Tsukamoto’s movies can be an assault on the senses: From cyberpunk (“Tetsuo: The Iron Man”) to psychological horror (“Kotoko”) to samurai drama (“Killing”), they’re full of sudden eruptions of disorienting visuals paired with edits and sound design that hit you in places most filmmakers don’t know how to reach.

So it’s a surprise to discover how soft-spoken the 65-year-old is in person. During a half-hour conversation with The Japan Times at a Tokyo office, his voice barely rises above a whisper.

Then again, Tsukamoto doesn’t need to speak loudly to make his point. With his latest film, “Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?”, he’s delivered one of the most emphatic statements of his career: a harrowing but achingly human antiwar drama that focuses not on the victims of conflict, but on a self-confessed perpetrator. Shot in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States — and in English, too — it was also “overwhelmingly” the largest production he’s ever helmed. The film is screening in competition at the Venice Film Festival, which runs until Sept. 12.  

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