While sporadically fascinating as a foreign art film, the movie nonetheless is likely to be of interest only to a specialized audience in the U.S. It represents a very Japanese version of such films as WHAT DREAMS MAY COME or DEFENDING YOUR LIFE.
One of the points of interest is the film's Buddhist Japanese attitude towards death and eternity, so different from what most Americans and Europeans think of. The key plot point of the movie is that everyone spends eternity in endless contemplation of one perfect moment from their lives. This notion differs drastically from the western emphasis on variety as the spice of life -- or death. Compare Wim Wenders' film, UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD, in which a group of westerners are emotionally and intellectually crippled by having to sort through their inmost thoughts and memories.
Our hell is usually depicted as a place where one must carry out pointless repetitive tasks or where one is forced into an obsession with the past (as in WHAT DREAMS MAY COME); heaven is usually thought of as listening to music, living in palaces, and socializing with a wide array of friends and loved ones. The Buddhist heaven suggested by this movie comes all too close to resembling a Sartrian hell in a westerner's eyes. Thus most American filmgoers would have no idea what the story was hoping to convey by insisting on the choice of a single cherished memory. Those with an interest in a different perspective may find the film thought-provoking.
It's less clear what the movie is getting at by suggesting that the afterlife is a place where people must make movies of their lives on limited budgets and with inadequate props. Perhaps the filmmaker is merely making a joke about filmmaking. Or perhaps he's trying to suggest that film is the ultimate artistic format, most closely tied to people's actual experiences of life. A little movie magic is all that's necessary to capture the gist of reality, even if the technical aspects of production seem cheap and mundane. Either way, the filmmaking references are likely to be lost on mainstream audiences.
Even when judged as a Japanese film, the movie is successful primarily when it relies on actual documentary interviews with old folks. Listening to these non-actors trying to describe the best memories of their lives is absolutely fascinating, whereas the drama narrated by the film is considerably less engaging.
One of the points of interest is the film's Buddhist Japanese attitude towards death and eternity, so different from what most Americans and Europeans think of. The key plot point of the movie is that everyone spends eternity in endless contemplation of one perfect moment from their lives. This notion differs drastically from the western emphasis on variety as the spice of life -- or death. Compare Wim Wenders' film, UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD, in which a group of westerners are emotionally and intellectually crippled by having to sort through their inmost thoughts and memories.
Our hell is usually depicted as a place where one must carry out pointless repetitive tasks or where one is forced into an obsession with the past (as in WHAT DREAMS MAY COME); heaven is usually thought of as listening to music, living in palaces, and socializing with a wide array of friends and loved ones. The Buddhist heaven suggested by this movie comes all too close to resembling a Sartrian hell in a westerner's eyes. Thus most American filmgoers would have no idea what the story was hoping to convey by insisting on the choice of a single cherished memory. Those with an interest in a different perspective may find the film thought-provoking.
It's less clear what the movie is getting at by suggesting that the afterlife is a place where people must make movies of their lives on limited budgets and with inadequate props. Perhaps the filmmaker is merely making a joke about filmmaking. Or perhaps he's trying to suggest that film is the ultimate artistic format, most closely tied to people's actual experiences of life. A little movie magic is all that's necessary to capture the gist of reality, even if the technical aspects of production seem cheap and mundane. Either way, the filmmaking references are likely to be lost on mainstream audiences.
Even when judged as a Japanese film, the movie is successful primarily when it relies on actual documentary interviews with old folks. Listening to these non-actors trying to describe the best memories of their lives is absolutely fascinating, whereas the drama narrated by the film is considerably less engaging.