Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Search cinema listings

Browse cinemas A-Z

Search 20,000 reviews

 

Memories of Matsuko (2006)

Director: Tetsuya Nakashima

5

Time Out rating

Average user rating
3 reviews

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 2008-06-10 11:19:44

Time Out London Issue 1973 June 10-18, 2008


  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

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

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields


Cast & crew

Director: Tetsuya Nakashima

Cast: Miki Nakatani, Yusuke Iseya full cast

Rated: 15

Duration: 130 mins

UK Release: Jul 7 2007




Top Stories

Time Out's 50 greatest monster movies

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

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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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.