Ashita no kioku

I saw this on the plane on a recent trip to Japan after having heard about it. My wife (who is Japanese) saw this movie and encouraged me to watch it. Thank heavens she did. It's a touching, sentimental and sometimes funny film. It really does have a warmth and integrity to it which many Western movies tend to lack.

Many people will, of course, know Ken Watanabe from The Last Samurai. He is a talented actor who is ably supported by a fine stellar cast.

I want to purchase this on DVD, anyone know where I can get hold of one? (not dubbed though).

Watch this movie if and when you get the chance, it's worth it.

This film tells the story of a successful executive in an advertising film, who notices that his memory is slipping away. He and his wife faces huge challenges to adjust to his new functional level.

I bought the DVD of "Memories of Tomorrow" years ago but haven't watched it until now. I wish I watched it earlier, because it is superb. Ken Watanabe's acting is very good, he convinces the viewers about his poor memory, his fear and confusion that he does not perform as he used to. In the second half of the film, the film focuses more on the wife. She is superb as an ever so supportive wife who is strained to the core, yet remains strong and positive. The film really highlights the butterfly effect of memory loss, both on the sufferer and the carers. Moreover, the film has a strong feel of realism, and events are not exaggerated at all. It touches me heart and I hope it will touch other people too.

Ashita no Kikoku or "remembering for tomorrow" features a man who is diagnosed as having Alzheimer's Disease. Ken Watanabe who has costarred Last Samurai play this man with considerable talent and good physical expression, which might help the non- Japanese audience understand better about the patient. His memory and thoughts go back and forth stirring up the present, while the scenes follow this condition. Pictures are kept above all stylish and the mountainous setting is to appeal mysterious functioning of our memories ("Kioku" in Japanese) .

This man called Mr. Saeki is far from a good family man; he used to be workaholic deserting family for his company business. This is understandable because he works for a major Japanese firm in Tokyo; the film does not take up this issue but strictly focuses on the development of the Disease.

Mrs. Saeki does not bring any social issues to screen, either. She is described as a woman who lives with her memories of loving her husband. By only trying to keep the family together, she might have avoided other hardship ever since they married.

Over all, this movie is a love story within a happy married couple. There are no adventure, no heroic actions, no powerful social message involved in this film, but every scene is carefully chosen and often "speaks" without words. It would show much more up- to-date image on Japanese middle class life than any costly government-endorsed tourism campaign videos and movies.

This was a brilliant movie. I watched it on the plane from Japan to Holland and even on the plane I found myself crying towards the end.

Watanabe acts superbly and so does Higuchi.

After watching the film, I came away reminded of how important it is to show your loved ones you care.

A lot of movies about sickness can present very 2-dimensional characters but the characters in this movie had a lot of depth and it was easy to relate to them and ask "what would I do in that situation?".

Eight out of ten.

This is the first movie to feature Ken Watanabe in the lead role. This may come as a surprise to many of us who've seen Ken in movies like "The Last Samurai", and other Japanese movies. He was the star in these movies, but surprise to learn that he was never the lead actor until this movie.

In fact, Ken was the one who've suggested to make the novel of the same title by Hiroshi Ogiwara into a movie. He saw similarity between himself who had a bout with leukemia with the main character of the novel Masayuki Saeki. The movie that was the first film to feature him as its star won the Japanese Academy Award for 2006.

This is a good movie that portrays the life of 49 year old middle aged executive who contracts Alzheimer's disease at the peak of his career. The confusion, and desperation of the man who's career is about to be taken away from him, and the courage him and his wife shows to combat the life that's before them is more suspenseful than your average action movie. The kind of courage and dignity the main character Saeki has is probably what Ken Watanabe has as a person as well.

Ken Watanabe is brilliant in this movie, and its worth every minute of your time to see him in action.