After Life (1998)

After death, people have just one week to choose only a memory to keep for eternity.

Director:

Hirokazu Koreeda

Writer:

Hirokazu Koreeda

Stars:

Arata Iura, Erika Oda, Susumu Terajima

7 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Arata Iura	...	Takashi Mochizuki, counselor (as Arata)
Erika Oda	...	Shiori Satonaka, trainee counselor
Susumu Terajima	...	Satoru Kawashima, counselor
Takashi Naitô	...	Takuro Sugie, counselor
Kyôko Kagawa	...	Kyoko Watanabe, Ichiro's Wife
Kei Tani	...	Kennosuke Nakamura, boss
Taketoshi Naitô	...	Ichiro Watanabe, who cannot choose his favourite experience
Tôru Yuri	...	Gisuke Shoda, who talks about sex
Yûsuke Iseya	...	Yusuke Iseya, who refuses to choose his experience
Sayaka Yoshino	...	Kana Yoshino, talks about Disneyland
Kazuko Shirakawa	...	Nobuko Amano, who talks about her affair with a married man
Kôtarô Shiga	...	Kenji Yamamoto, who wants to forget his past
Hisako Hara	...	Kiyo Nishimura, old lady who loves cherry blossoms
Sadao Abe	...	Ichiro (as young man)
Natsuo Ishidô	...	Kyoko Watanabe as a young woman

Storyline

A small mid-20th century social-service-style office is a waystation for the souls of the recently deceased, where they are processed before entering their personal heaven - a single happy memory re-experienced for eternity. Every Monday, a new group of recently deceased people check in, and the "social workers" in the lodge explain their situation. Once the newly-dead have identified their happiest memories, workers design and replicate each person's chosen memory, which is staged and filmed. At the end of the week, the recently deceased watch the films of their recreated happiest memories in a screening room. As soon as each person sees his or her own memory, he or she vanishes to whatever state of existence lies beyond and takes only that single memory with them. The story pays most attention to two of the "counselors," Takashi (Arata) and Shiori (Oda). Takashi has been assigned to help an old man, Ichiro (played by Naito Taketoshi), select his memory. Reviewing videotape of ...

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Plot Keywords:

eternity | memory | movie set | filmmaking | teenage girl | 

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Taglines:

What is the one memory you would take with you?

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was released on DVD in France in 2010, 11 years after its 1999 theatrical release in the country.

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Connections

References September Affair (1950)

User Reviews

why does my life suck

this movie was lovely. i could relate to the people and what they chose as their memories. i wanted to find a memory but i couldn't find one i would want to spend eternity with. so this movie has actually made me want to create beautiful memories before it is too late. see this movie, it might make you evaluate your own life.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

17 April 1999 (Japan)

Also Known As:

After Life

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,791, 16 May 1999

Gross USA:

$801,985

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$801,985

Company Credits

Production Co:

Engine Film, Sputnik Productions, TV Man Union

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1