Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageMemories of Matsuko (2006)
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Movie review
From Time Out London
Applying the tartrazine-fuelled pop-cultural aesthetics of Japanese TV to the overblown narratives of the Depression-era Hollywood weepie sounds like a dreadful idea on paper, a recipe for glitzy postmodern style-over-substance. Which only serves to make ‘Memories of Matsuko’ all the more astounding: yes, it’s vibrantly, often toe-curlingly, bright. But it’s also stunningly inventive, crammed with ideas and emotional truth, high on the possibilities of cinema.The central device is magnificently simple: slacker student Shou is asked to clear out his mysterious, recently deceased aunt Matsuko’s apartment and in the process travels back through the five decades of her wild and tragic life. We witness her passage from open-hearted schoolgirl to overzealous teacher, to stripper, abused yakuza moll, murderess, housewife, jailbird and bag lady, culminating in her meaningless, rapturous death. Every stage of the journey is differently designed – from the chocolate-box fairyland of childhood to the gritty hip-hop-musical prison sequences – but the whole is expertly tied together by Shou’s quest for a deeper understanding of his family, and his own humanity.
And this is Nakashima’s most impressive achievement– for all its stylistic intensity and dizzying narrative overdrive, this is a profoundly compassionate, humanist work. In surprisingly sober fashion, the film covers an array of vital issues, from the mistreatment of women in Japanese society to the emptiness of celebrity obsession, from the trap of brutal relationships to the inescapable, agonising truth that those most open to the world are also those most likely to be crushed by it.
Author: Tom Huddleston
Time Out London Issue 1973 June 10-18, 2008
User reviews of this film
-
- Simon said...
-
Posted on Jan 10 2010 14:38
The TO Review is spot on. This is a surprisingly captivating film. I actually quite like the wackiness of this film as it portrays life in a way which could only really be done on film and really takes advantage of that whilst not distracting from the plot.
An excellent, must see film. - Report as inappropriate
-
- Shaun said...
- Posted on Nov 28 2008 14:43 Beautiful, moving, original movie making. Not necessarily a film everyone will like, but a film everyone should see. The performances by the star-studded cast were amazing and I was captivated for every second of the film.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Milan said...
- Posted on Jun 22 2008 00:44 As stated in the TO review, it is wackey but at the same time touching and deep. Loved the film. A+
- Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Cast: Miki Nakatani, Yusuke Iseya full cast
Rated: 15
Duration: 130 mins
UK Release: Jul 7 2007
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 50 greatest monster movies
As Joe Johnston’s long-awaited reinvention of Universal’s howl-at-the-moon classic ‘The Wolfman’ hits cinemas, Time Out lists our 50 favourite cinematic stalkers, growlers, slashers and biters.
Mark Kermode: A life in film
Dave Calhoun chats to Britain's most outspoken film critic and pundit ahead of the release of his memoirs
Has Ricky Gervais gone all serious?
The trailer to 'Cemetery Junction' suggests that its writer-director is suppressing his funny bone.
The genius of Roman Polanski
Ahead of his new film, 'The Ghost', we must forget the media circus and remember the artist pleads Wally Hammond
Oscars 2010: The nominees
Tom Huddleston offers his acute analysis on the list of nominees for the 2010 Academy Awards
Rotterdam 2010: Geoff Andrew's report
Geoff Andrew finds rich leftfield pickings at the 2010 Rotterdam Film Festival
Can Tom Ford cut it as a director?
After ten years as creative head of Gucci, Tom Ford has directed his first movie. Nina Caplan meets him
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
So here it is… Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this.
2009: The year in film
We look back at the best movies of 2009 and pick out some of our favourite lists, features and interviews.
What do you think?
Post your review now