The Twilight World by Werner Herzog Review

Towards the end of World War 2, Lieutenant Hiroo Onada was tasked with staying behind on Lubang Island in the Philippines to sabotage tactical locations like the airfield and bridges to impede the Americans and prepare for the Japanese Imperial Army’s return. That was early in 1945 with the Japanese surrendering unconditionally on 2 September later that year. Except nobody told Onada and so he continued to fight, believing the war was still on - for nearly 30 years! - until he stopped in 1974.

The Twilight World is filmmaker Werner Herzog’s first novel but nearly all of it is based on reality. Onada’s remarkable story is true and Herzog really did go to Japan to meet him. The fictional part is Herzog imagining Onada’s thoughts, feelings, and conversations with his fellow soldiers during the years they were in the jungle. Still, as bizarre as Onada’s story is, it’s not that interesting to read as a full-length novel.

The story shows us the soldiers’ day-to-day lives, raiding Filipino farmers, occasionally slaying some, foraging off the land, and generally living a rough and tumble life, year after tedious year. Others had been aware of Onada’s existence and had tried, unsuccessfully, to tell him the war was over, but he stubbornly chose to believe this was all mind games being played on him by the enemy to lure him out of hiding. He observed the US forces en route to Korea and Vietnam in the ‘50s and ‘60s and believed this was evidence of the continuance of WW2, rather than the separate conflicts they were.

As silly as that might seem, Herzog never writes Onada as a figure of fun or an absurd person - he’s very careful to render him with dignity and respect, which is laudable. Onada’s time on the island may have been a fruitless exercise but his tenacity and dedication is undeniable.

It took Onada’s 88 year old commanding officer to come to Lubang and tell him face to face that he was to stand down for the soldier to eventually give up his decades-long campaign. Onada went back to Japan and died in 2014.

While Onada’s story is a unique one, I don’t think Herzog added much with his fictionalised take on it in The Twilight World. It’s well-written but not very engaging and whatever else he wanted to contribute to the story was ineffective and underwhelming. Reading Onada’s Wikipedia page is a better (and much quicker) choice if you’re interested in learning about his life.