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IMDbPro

Memories of Matsuko

Original title: Kiraware Matsuko no isshô
  • 2006
  • 2h 10m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
9.2K
YOUR RATING
Memories of Matsuko (2006)
ComedyDramaMusicalMystery

When Matsuko is murdered, her nephew, Sho, gets to progressively unveil the many details of her mysterious past, discovering she wasn't just a forgotten outcast and had led an intriguing yet... Read allWhen Matsuko is murdered, her nephew, Sho, gets to progressively unveil the many details of her mysterious past, discovering she wasn't just a forgotten outcast and had led an intriguing yet bizarre life.When Matsuko is murdered, her nephew, Sho, gets to progressively unveil the many details of her mysterious past, discovering she wasn't just a forgotten outcast and had led an intriguing yet bizarre life.

  • Director
    • Tetsuya Nakashima
  • Writers
    • Tetsuya Nakashima
    • Muneki Yamada
  • Stars
    • Miki Nakatani
    • Eita Nagayama
    • Yûsuke Iseya
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.8/10
    9.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Tetsuya Nakashima
    • Writers
      • Tetsuya Nakashima
      • Muneki Yamada
    • Stars
      • Miki Nakatani
      • Eita Nagayama
      • Yûsuke Iseya
    • 44User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 10 wins & 10 nominations total

    Photos94

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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Miki Nakatani
    Miki Nakatani
    • Matsuko Kawajiri
    Eita Nagayama
    Eita Nagayama
    • Shô Kawajiri
    • (as Eita)
    Yûsuke Iseya
    Yûsuke Iseya
    • Yôichi Ryû
    Mikako Ichikawa
    • Kumi Kawajiri
    Asuka Kurosawa
    • Megumi Sawamura
    Gori
    • Shûji Ôkura
    Shinji Takeda
    • Onodera
    Yoshiyoshi Arakawa
    • Kenji Shimazu
    Gekidan Hitori
    • Takeo Okano
    Magy
    • Detective
    Shôsuke Tanihara
    Shôsuke Tanihara
    • Shunji Saeki
    Takanori Takeyama
    Takanori Takeyama
    • Vice-Principal
    Masahiro Kômoto
    Masahiro Kômoto
    • Man with Stand on School Trip
    Nagisa Katahira
    • Self
    Takuzô Kadono
    • Principal
    Midoriko Kimura
    Midoriko Kimura
    • Tae Kawajiri
    Mari Hamada
    Mari Hamada
    • Norio's Wife
    Hirotarô Honda
    • Self
    • Director
      • Tetsuya Nakashima
    • Writers
      • Tetsuya Nakashima
      • Muneki Yamada
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews44

    7.89.2K
    1
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    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    9boku-2

    Just beautiful

    A really beautiful film to watch. It's funny, tragic, silly and thought-provoking all at the same time. I actually started watching this film at 1am and thought I'd probably fall asleep halfway through but my eyes were wide open the whole time. Fascinating following the life of Matsuko and all the different stages she goes through and the people she meets along the way.

    The problem with a lot of artsy kind of films is that whilst they're visually excellent, the story's lacking. Or whilst the story's interesting, they're just not that great to watch. Memories of Matsuko however is visually stunning and also really interesting. Can't understand how it didn't make a splash on the world scene.

    The only reason I gave it 9 and not 10 was that it was a bit long and felt it dragged towards the end.

    Memories of Matsuko is probably one of the best films I've seen. I borrowed it from a friend but will be buying my own copy.
    10maurazos

    Impressive tragicomedy

    It is a real tragicomedy! This film is about cruel facts, but under a musical comedy appearance. It is a movie that made me cry, as if I still were 15 years old. And I cried because what is told in the film can happen... And unfortunately it actually happens everywhere and everyday. It is a film that has made me believe again in the Japanese cinema. In this movie I have seen a Kenji Mizoguchi's spirit revival, because of the way it describes the life of a woman who is mistreated by everybody and whose life is irremediably ruined. Doesn't this story remember Mizoguchi's "Oyu-sama"? I also saw some Akira Kurosawa's influences, like the colorful shanty dwelling Matsuko lives in during the last years of her sad existence: aren't they close to the ones Kurosawa showed in "Dodeskaden"? According to my point of view, this is the best Japanese film of this still young 21st century.
    9Bribaba

    Memories are made of this

    Who is Matsuko and what memories are these? Mitsuko was a born optimist, a fervent believer in human goodness. The memories, therefore, are inevitably sad as she discovers the journey along the yellow brick road can be tough haul. We discover Matsuko through her brother's quest when he hears of her death (she left home some fifteen years ago). Porn star, convict, hairdresser - these are all part of a less than glittering cv. This could easily have been an unremitting 2 hours of grimness and probably would have been were this film British. But director Tetsuya Nakashima throws everything into this including the kitchen sink, just as he did with his similarly surreal Kamikaze Girls. The result leaves you reeling as you run the gamut of emotions as the heroine's fate unravels.
    10crossbow0106

    Devastating

    This film will just blow you away! While I would say it was fairly sad at times, and you'll shake your head at the life choices the lead character made, the film will stay with you. It definitely has tearjerker moments, major ones. The acting is uniformly superb. I originally knew about the film through this site, because I am very impressed with the acting of Asuka Kurosawa ("A Snake Of June") and wanted to see her in a film in which you actually see her in her beauty (She boldly works in horror films, sometimes with distorted features, like "Kirie" and "Dead Waves"). She looks gorgeous in this film, but so does the title character. Like many films with a female name in them (think Leslie Caron, Audrey Hepburn), you'll fall in love, commiserate, get angry with and, ultimately, forgive her flaws. Is it perfect? No, it isn't. The rating of 10 stars has to do with the effect it had on me. It'll just stay with you. Thank goodness this wasn't an American film, it would have been sanitized and "fairy taled" to the point of manifesting ad nauseum. Its sad, you might cry, but you'll love it.
    8kityujonatha

    A great tragedy with a charming comical outlook

    The movie is really wonderful and joyful. The package is really wonderful. As the female lives from 50's up to now, director of this film manage to dissolve a lot of pop culture stuffs, like MTV, TV etc into a fancy comical world. I am sure there would be only Japanese who can create such world.

    But what i admire most is he do not forget the story he want to tell. The story actually is a adaption from a original novel which depict a tragic life of a woman. The film, though have a comedy outlook, it is a typical tragic story. The director manages to find a new way to retell the story in a sense which youngster would feel related.

    And the story itself is great because it tells us what is so called life. ie ridiculous, unpredictable, etc. and how a woman face her life with constant hope of simply getting better.

    The story is a typical tragedy in a Greek kind of style. Though it may contain some preaching scene, but u are free to take it or leave, as the life of the woman is open to judge.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the protagonist T-shirt is written "Eu respeito o meio ambiente", this means "I respect the enviroment" in portuguese.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Aquella que Va Sobre Zancos (2013)
    • Soundtracks
      Trill Trill Recur
      Written by Kaela Kimura & Shigekazu Aida

      Performed by Kaela Kimura

      Courtesy of Columbia Music Entertainment, Inc.

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    FAQ

    • How long is Memories of Matsuko?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 27, 2006 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Languages
      • Japanese
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ký Uc Vê Matsuko
    • Filming locations
      • Japan
    • Production companies
      • Amuse Soft
      • Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $9,578,449
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 10 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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