AFI FEST

by Ari

Memories of Tomorrow - Yukihiko Tsutsumi
 
Ken Watanabe produces and stars in this powerful drama about a successful businessman who’s professional and personal life is destroyed by an early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Both crushing and tender, Memories of Tomorrow is an affecting character piece about a married couple that endures the pain and agony of slow death. Director Tsutsumi Yukihiko really pours on the misery of Alzheimer’s, making it extremely difficult to withstand at certain moments. The second act is particularly brutal, once Watanabe’s character begins to intensely suffer from his loss of memory. Everything he accomplished in life is shattered, ruining him and his passion for living. He initially contemplates suicide at the discovery of his illness, but his wife encourages him to live and fight, even though they both understand it's a losing battle.

Like Kurosawa’s masterpiece Ikiru, Memories of Tomorrow examines the final days of a dying man. Watanabe’s character experiences the increasingly difficult stages of the disease, while making a full dramatic arc through the story. The first half of Memories of Tomorrow deals with the shock, fear, and panic of his discovery, while the second half explores the tragic pain and emotional chaos between he and his wife. When faced with such dire circumstances, people naturally look for beauty in the most unlikely of places. After an onslaught of wrenching emotional content, director Tsutsumi takes the story to a bittersweet, surprisingly beautiful place in the last act. Watanabe takes an inward journey through his best memories as a young man and husband before they vanish forever.

The relationship between Watanabe and his wife is a powerful display of first-class performances. Kanako Higuchi plays his wife with compassion, horror, strength, and beauty. Her character is taken on a whirlwind of emotional highs and lows, doing anything and everything to keep her family intact. She works to earn money once Watanabe retires and stands by him even at the most horrific of times. One particular sequence has stuck with me long after seeing it. Watanabe and his wife have an argument at dinner where every bottled up emotion is released with an intense anger and desperation. In a moment of complete fury and confusion, Watanabe slams a dish against her head without even realizing how quickly he acted. Blood flows from her forehead, Watanabe drops to the floor sobbing uncontrollably, and instead of attending to her wound, his wife hugs and comforts him. It’s terrifying, moving, and profound all at once, a sequence of overwhelming emotion.

By the end it’s almost impossible to not have a tearful reaction to Memories of Tomorrow, and while some sequences border on excess, the overall achievement is still quite impressive. Ken Watanabe did a Q & A following the film, discussing his passion for the novel, the shooting schedule (45 days), and working with Kanako Higuchi. A nice surprise from AFI, and a solid feature presentation.