Ashita no kioku

I saw this on the plane on a recent trip to Japan after having heard about it. My wife (who is Japanese) saw this movie and encouraged me to watch it. Thank heavens she did. It's a touching, sentimental and sometimes funny film. It really does have a warmth and integrity to it which many Western movies tend to lack.

Many people will, of course, know Ken Watanabe from The Last Samurai. He is a talented actor who is ably supported by a fine stellar cast.

I want to purchase this on DVD, anyone know where I can get hold of one? (not dubbed though).

Watch this movie if and when you get the chance, it's worth it.

I just saw this film at the AFI Film Festival and it hits you on a deep emotional level. I am lucky that I have not had anyone in my family suffering from Alzheimer's, but the film works because it is also contains universal issues about lost love, honor and unspoken feelings within a family. I pretty much cried through the last half of the movie. Ken Watanabe was there after the screening for Q&A. He secured the rights to the book himself, then found the writer and director. His executive producer credit is well earned, and Watanabe just further cements proof of his great acting talents. What could have been a made-for-TV movie in the U.S. is a poignant story for the big screen with a superb level of execution.

I have mixed feelings about this film. First, I'll start by saying that Ken Wantanabe is a very talented actor and he is equally talented in this film. However, like many Japanese feature films recently, I feel this film was a bit too contrived.

First I thought it was too long and there were a few unnecessary scenes, but I may have watched the unedited version on DVD. It does hit you at some points emotionally,however, I can't find myself really empathizing with either Saeki or Emiko. Also, I feel that it's not completely realistic of what Alzheimer's is like or any damage to the brain (having brief experience myself), but shows it in a more fantastical way. The film only briefly touches upon things like violence and other complete losses of control.The director did do a good job with the only real violent scene, when Emiko is hit in the head with a dish, by actually depicting it with out showing any real physical violence. However, there were many scenes I watched in disbelief like that the main character could still read a newspaper or post it notes, especially in kanji, with advance stages of Alzheimer's, or he could arrive at the care facility alone by train with no problem, or that his wife could find him in the middle of a forest away from their home with no explanation as to how. Also, the entire scene with Saeki's old pottery teacher is very abstract and has no real purpose in the film. On a positive note this film depicts Emiko's strength and patience and she almost takes over the film as a character.

In the end I think the director's attempt was more to provoke the viewer's feelings, rather than to show the honest devastation of such a disease. I will give it a decent rating because of the acting and the cinematography was beautiful. This film does have an emotional impact, but in a contrived way. In the end I felt sad, but I didn't really learn anything from this film. It's a shame to also have no sense of hope, closure, or understanding when touching upon such a serious topic.

This film tells the story of a successful executive in an advertising film, who notices that his memory is slipping away. He and his wife faces huge challenges to adjust to his new functional level.

I bought the DVD of "Memories of Tomorrow" years ago but haven't watched it until now. I wish I watched it earlier, because it is superb. Ken Watanabe's acting is very good, he convinces the viewers about his poor memory, his fear and confusion that he does not perform as he used to. In the second half of the film, the film focuses more on the wife. She is superb as an ever so supportive wife who is strained to the core, yet remains strong and positive. The film really highlights the butterfly effect of memory loss, both on the sufferer and the carers. Moreover, the film has a strong feel of realism, and events are not exaggerated at all. It touches me heart and I hope it will touch other people too.

Ashita no Kikoku or "remembering for tomorrow" features a man who is diagnosed as having Alzheimer's Disease. Ken Watanabe who has costarred Last Samurai play this man with considerable talent and good physical expression, which might help the non- Japanese audience understand better about the patient. His memory and thoughts go back and forth stirring up the present, while the scenes follow this condition. Pictures are kept above all stylish and the mountainous setting is to appeal mysterious functioning of our memories ("Kioku" in Japanese) .

This man called Mr. Saeki is far from a good family man; he used to be workaholic deserting family for his company business. This is understandable because he works for a major Japanese firm in Tokyo; the film does not take up this issue but strictly focuses on the development of the Disease.

Mrs. Saeki does not bring any social issues to screen, either. She is described as a woman who lives with her memories of loving her husband. By only trying to keep the family together, she might have avoided other hardship ever since they married.

Over all, this movie is a love story within a happy married couple. There are no adventure, no heroic actions, no powerful social message involved in this film, but every scene is carefully chosen and often "speaks" without words. It would show much more up- to-date image on Japanese middle class life than any costly government-endorsed tourism campaign videos and movies.