Eiga Sai: Memories of Tomorrow and Always - Sunset o Third Street
Had a blast yesterday attending the Eiga Sai (Japanese film fest) at Shang with Lai and Kate!
Memories of Tomorrow was such a tearjerker. It starred Ken Watanabe as Saeki (that samurai dude from The Last Samurai and that guy from Memoirs of a Geisha) as this uber busy corporate director of an advertising agency, and all of a sudden, his memory starts failing on him, and soon enough, he is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.
His wife, Emiko, becomes his pillar of support, keeping the condition a secret from their only daughter, who is with child and is to be wed soon. It was really heart-wrenching when Saeki would forget who his staff members were, and there was also this one scene where he forget how to get to work. Eventually he resigns from work as someone uncovers his medication and prescription. His staff say farewell by leaving him with polaroid photos of themselves with their names scribbled on the photos.
Emiko, to support her ailing husband, starts work at a pottery store, leaving Saeki at home to take care of himself. Emiko leaves gigantic notes on everything so Saeki won't forget what to do, say, feed the fish, vacuum the rug, or heat his dinner in the microwave. At times, it was humorous, as he would keep feeding the fish or cleaning the rug, but then it gets really depressing. He'd dress up for work at times, and would bawl like a baby because he'd be lucid but would feel helplessly guilty for making his wife suffer by constantly looking after him. You'll feel sorry for him because he was such a smart, strong man, but he was crippled by the disease.
Things take a turn for the worse as Emiko begins to feel weary, and so she starts to consider putting Saeki in a nursing home. Saeki discovers this and gets furious. He leaves home and ends up at the forest, where he first met Emiko, when they were studying pottery. Emiko is distraught with worry and finds him there, but sadly, Saeki can't recognize her anymore as her present self. The movie ends with a shot of a cup that Saeki made, but with Emiko's name carved upon it.
This movie really struck a chord with me because my grandmother also had Alzheimer's, and you could really see the disease eating into the memories and personality of the person. There is such a visible deterioration that you will feel you are already losing that person.
___________________________________________________________________________
Always - Sunset on Third Street, on the other hand, was such a pleasant surprise, as I thought it would be a bland war-type movie. It was, to my delight, perhaps one of the most colorful and heartwarming movies I have ever seen in my life.
(Yes, the older woman is Aya's mom in 1 Litre of Tears and the younger one is Mizuki from the Japanese version of Hana Kimi. :P)
I have always had a penchant with quaint close-knit town type of series/movies. Take, for instance, my all-time favorite, Gilmore Girls, and the warm town of Stars Hollow.
The story weaves in the tales of an endearing set of characters, each with their own quirks, problems and stories. At first, you don't have a clue what the conflict is to begin with, but then you see how one by one, you see a development in the characters' lives. They discover their softer sides, and they reach out with love and newfound happiness with their simple dreams and big hearts, all looking forward to that beautiful tomorrow that awaits post-war Japan. :)
********
I'm so looking forward to watching Eiga Sai films, most especially Kamome Diner! :D
Memories of Tomorrow was such a tearjerker. It starred Ken Watanabe as Saeki (that samurai dude from The Last Samurai and that guy from Memoirs of a Geisha) as this uber busy corporate director of an advertising agency, and all of a sudden, his memory starts failing on him, and soon enough, he is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.
His wife, Emiko, becomes his pillar of support, keeping the condition a secret from their only daughter, who is with child and is to be wed soon. It was really heart-wrenching when Saeki would forget who his staff members were, and there was also this one scene where he forget how to get to work. Eventually he resigns from work as someone uncovers his medication and prescription. His staff say farewell by leaving him with polaroid photos of themselves with their names scribbled on the photos.
Emiko, to support her ailing husband, starts work at a pottery store, leaving Saeki at home to take care of himself. Emiko leaves gigantic notes on everything so Saeki won't forget what to do, say, feed the fish, vacuum the rug, or heat his dinner in the microwave. At times, it was humorous, as he would keep feeding the fish or cleaning the rug, but then it gets really depressing. He'd dress up for work at times, and would bawl like a baby because he'd be lucid but would feel helplessly guilty for making his wife suffer by constantly looking after him. You'll feel sorry for him because he was such a smart, strong man, but he was crippled by the disease.
Things take a turn for the worse as Emiko begins to feel weary, and so she starts to consider putting Saeki in a nursing home. Saeki discovers this and gets furious. He leaves home and ends up at the forest, where he first met Emiko, when they were studying pottery. Emiko is distraught with worry and finds him there, but sadly, Saeki can't recognize her anymore as her present self. The movie ends with a shot of a cup that Saeki made, but with Emiko's name carved upon it.
This movie really struck a chord with me because my grandmother also had Alzheimer's, and you could really see the disease eating into the memories and personality of the person. There is such a visible deterioration that you will feel you are already losing that person.
___________________________________________________________________________
Always - Sunset on Third Street, on the other hand, was such a pleasant surprise, as I thought it would be a bland war-type movie. It was, to my delight, perhaps one of the most colorful and heartwarming movies I have ever seen in my life.
(Yes, the older woman is Aya's mom in 1 Litre of Tears and the younger one is Mizuki from the Japanese version of Hana Kimi. :P)
I have always had a penchant with quaint close-knit town type of series/movies. Take, for instance, my all-time favorite, Gilmore Girls, and the warm town of Stars Hollow.
The story weaves in the tales of an endearing set of characters, each with their own quirks, problems and stories. At first, you don't have a clue what the conflict is to begin with, but then you see how one by one, you see a development in the characters' lives. They discover their softer sides, and they reach out with love and newfound happiness with their simple dreams and big hearts, all looking forward to that beautiful tomorrow that awaits post-war Japan. :)
********
I'm so looking forward to watching Eiga Sai films, most especially Kamome Diner! :D