Memories of Matsuko (2006)

  'Memories of Matsuko' is a 2006, Japanese film directed by Tetsuya Nakashima. It is unique as it can be described as a crime, biopic, comedy, fantasy, musical, adventure.

  The plot is quite hard to describe. An old woman is found dead in a field by a river. A young man is told by his father that this is his aunt, and he must find what happened to her and who killed her. Through interviews with associates of his aunt (Matsuko), a series of flashbacks is shown spanning her life.

  The sad thing is I found 'Confessions' a lot superior. In both, Nakashima had really good idea for the film but lasts way too long and runs out of juice before the end. I found some of the cinematography beautiful, but it mostly made me feel sick. effects are good. I liked how crazy it was, despite the odd bad song (Michael Buble has to be the worst choice for a backing song ever). What I respect most is the inspirations from classic Japanese cinema. I spotted '24 eyes', 'Ikiru', 'The Life of Oharu' and the face moon is an obvious sendback to the 'Teletubbies'. or 'A Trip to the Moon' (1902). It promises more than it can give, but I am still going to watch Nakashima's films in the future.

TO CONCLUDE
Nakashima has created a fantasy world, which it's hard no to grin at. With good performances from the lead actress, this is a film loved by the masses. 

SCORE
74/100