Three Minutes From Tetsuya Nakashi’s Memories of Matsuko

Posted by Todd Brown at 7:48pm.

Posted in Trailer Alerts , Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Asia.

I’ve been itching to see this latest from the director of Kamikaze Girls but it has yet to make an appearance anywhere in North America. It is, however, playing in Pusan and they’re hosting a fresh three minute clip of the film on their website.

“When a bored college student learns that a long lost aunt has been found dead in a park, he begins piecing together her life to see if it had any value. What he finds is a revelation. Talented film director, Tetsuya Nakashima ("Kamikaze Girls” 2004), wield a host of cinematic tools to make “Memories of MATSUKO” a memorably entertaining and emotionally powerful “fairytale tragedy,” weaving together realistic human drama with offbeat comedy and spectacular (Bob Fosse-like) production numbers to tell the heartbreaking story of Matsuko Kawajiri, a starry-eyed woman who spends her entire life serching for a worthy “prince” capable of returning her limitless love. Versatile actress, Miki Nakatani, renders a virtuosic performance in the lead role of Matsuko.

Memories of Matsuko Clip (streaming Windows Media)

Additional Trailer and Clip Links Here

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Reader Comments

Mark 09/27/2006 @ 9:01am

From what I’ve seen in the trailers here in Japan this looks like nothing but another countries attempt to create their own version of something like Amelie. And seeing how Japan is such whores for anything ‘french’ it will probably be modestly successful.
Swarez 09/28/2006 @ 4:30am

I didn’t know this was by the same director as Kamakazi girls, a film I truly love. Trailers and making ofs were being constantly played in Tower and HMV in Tokyo and I really wanted to see it then but I had no idea who made it. Now I want to see it even more.
dimsum99 09/29/2006 @ 2:56am

I saw this in Nagoya a couple of months back. I love Kamikaze Girls so I just had to see this movie. A very interesting film. The story is actually dark and quite depressing but the style Nakashima employs would have you believe it’s not. Very vivid, bright, Panacolor-like hues and tints permeate the screen along with candy-coated musical numbers, mainly told in flashback. If you thought KG was colorful MOM is rainbow sprites overload minus the leprechaun. In some ways the film reminds me of ‘Dancer in the Dark’ where the musical fantasy sequences contrast sharply with the reality of the narrative. Less accessible than KG but fans of that film might enjoy this one as well.
HKviewer 10/15/2006 @ 5:51am

I went to watch with my sister and mom. My mom fell asleep. My sister and I both cried during the movie. It was odd - and some parts don’t make any sense but yet you do feel for the character and understand her desperation. You may even relate to some of the scenes. It makes you think about all the “bag ladies” in the street and how anyone of them could have been beautiful, loved and faced with a tragic sequence of events before ending up on the streets. A very different movie.
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