Extraordinary meditation on life and death

The Synopsis of this film states: "After death, people have just one week to choose only a memory to keep for eternity."

Only a handful of directors could have accomplished this film, of which Kore-eda is one. It's a masterful observation on what it is to be human, what we make of our time on this planet and what we leave behind. The recently deceased are interviewed by a panel, to share their favourite memory in life, before they can move on into the afterlife.

The film evokes memories of Bergman movies, and is almost like a Dogme film in terms of production. It also has a touch of Kurosawa about it and no doubt Ozu (who I shamefully haven't seen anywhere near enough of). The cast is presumably made up from both actors and real life people, who are just simply trying to convey their brightest, happiest memories on camera. It works remarkably well in terms of a docu-film style for the first hour or so, then the plot moves on to reveal how the panel are also involved.

It's a pretty ingenious idea from Kore-eda who was making only his 2nd feature. He was a documentary maker before his features, so some of that experience no doubt crossed over into this project. And while it's a very one dimensional film (the setting and tone is constant throughout), Kore-eda nails down the humanism and naturalistic beauty of what it is to be alive.

There is one tiny moment in which an elderly woman recalls caring for her brother just before his death, where she wells up and is overcome with emotion - and that realness, captured and turned into film by Kore-eda is just jaw droppingly moving and brilliant. This is a film that not only shows how scared Kore-eda is of amnesia, loss of feeling and emotion but also truly shows how in tune Kore-eda is with all of it and how he is able to convey it all to us in 2 hours.

8.5/10