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IMDbPro

Dearest

Original title: Anata e
  • 20122012
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
450
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
180,706
70,390
Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Kyôzô Nagatsuka, Hideji Ôtaki, Kôichi Satô, Ken Takakura, Yûko Tanaka, Kimiko Yo, Haruka Ayase, Takahiro Miura, and Mieko Harada in Dearest (2012)
Drama
A prison officer hands in his resignation after his wife's death, to drive to the port where she wants her ashes scattered at sea.A prison officer hands in his resignation after his wife's death, to drive to the port where she wants her ashes scattered at sea.A prison officer hands in his resignation after his wife's death, to drive to the port where she wants her ashes scattered at sea.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
450
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
180,706
70,390
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Yasuo Furuhata
    • Writer
      • Takeshi Aoshima
    • Stars
      • Ken Takakura
      • Yûko Tanaka
      • Kôichi Satô
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Yasuo Furuhata
    • Writer
      • Takeshi Aoshima
    • Stars
      • Ken Takakura
      • Yûko Tanaka
      • Kôichi Satô
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 4User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 11 nominations

    Photos

    Dearest (2012)
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    Top cast

    Edit
    Ken Takakura
    Ken Takakura
    • Eiji Kurashima
    Yûko Tanaka
    • Yôko Kurashima
    Kôichi Satô
    Kôichi Satô
    • Nanbara
    Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
    • Yûji Tamiya
    Kimiko Yo
    Kimiko Yo
    • Tamiko Hamasaki
    Haruka Ayase
    Haruka Ayase
    • Naoko Hamasaki
    Takahiro Miura
    Takahiro Miura
    • Takuya Ôura
    Takashi Okamura
    • Restaurant patron
    Toshie Negishi
    Toshie Negishi
      Kô Inoue
        Karin Okada
        Yuka Nozawa
        Nobuhiro Mitomo
        Hideji Ôtaki
        • Gorô Ôura
        Kyôzô Nagatsuka
        • Kazuo Tsukamoto
        Mieko Harada
        Mieko Harada
        • Kumiko Tsukamoto
        Tadanobu Asano
        Tadanobu Asano
        • Policeman
        Takeshi Kitano
        Takeshi Kitano
        • Teruo Sugino
        • (as Bîto Takeshi)
        • Director
          • Yasuo Furuhata
        • Writer
          • Takeshi Aoshima
        • All cast & crew
        • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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        Storyline

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        Did you know

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        • Soundtracks
          Hoshi meguri no uta
          Written by Kenji Miyazawa

          Performed by Yûko Tanaka

        User reviews4

        Review
        Review
        Top review
        8/10
        Dearest is a Pleasant, Character Driven Drama, that takes its viewers on an Enjoyable ride across Japan
        Dearest is a feature that can be described as being genuinely nice, even the atmosphere of the prison where Eiji Shimakura (Ken Takakura) originally works, possessing a climate free from negativity. Despite his wife Yoko (Yuko Tanaka) having recently passed, even this does not deter the pleasantness, Eiji resolving to continue work, until been informed of his wife's wishes: to have her ashes scattered into the ocean, off the coast of Nagasaki, where she was born, a request that was never once mentioned while she were alive. In this sense, Dearest conveys how, to know a person, is to accept surprises brought upon us when we learn secrets we didn't know existed, Eiji using the trip that requires undertaking to fulfill his wife's final endeavors, as a way to complete a promise he made to her when they were together.

        Visually, the film expresses how Japan is potentially constructed of two souls: the metropolis reflects the influence of western civilization, while the city's outer-limits and countryside are comprised of establishments and locations that significantly represent the more traditional heritage of the people. The soundtrack helps lure the viewer into the story, however it is the sounds of the environments that really captivate the viewer: the bustling crowds, the retracting tides; the gusting breeze - all of this assists in establishing the setting.

        Rather than the romance between Eiji and Yoko beginning when both characters are young, they are middle aged upon committing to a relationship, Yoko having worked as a singer, who occasionally visited the prison in her role as a performer, her occupation being further developed over the course of the feature. Instead of being constructed chronologically, as Eiji travels across the country, he is often reminded of the times he spent with his wife, alongside meeting others who find themselves in situations that Eiji is capable of relating to.

        Additional characters include Yuji (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) and Shinichi (Koichi Sato), who tour Japan for long durations, selling sea food; Teruo (Takeshi Kitano), a widower, who has discovered non-stereotypical methods of dealing with his grief; Takuya (Takahiro Miyra), a young man who experiences difficulty in trying to appease his fiancé; and Naoko (Haruka Aysae), who works at a restaurant with her mother (Kimiko Yo), who continues to struggle emotionally with the loss of her husband. The ensuing sub-plots illustrate how different people adapt to loss and change, while advocating the depths of the human heart, as individuals compassionately assist one another, without ulterior motive.

        Traditions of honor and respect are well encapsulated, alongside compassion, which beautifully reveal traditional Japanese social behavior, this being especially emphasized by the likable characters. Affection between characters, and the same goes for Eiji and Yoko, is often depicted through action, gesture and facial expression, direct dialogue rarely used to structure this particular component, Mr Takakura and Ms Tanaka being especially brilliant in using these techniques. Despite a sub-plot revealing the pending marriage between two of the characters in the feature, we never actually see the marriage of Eiji and Yoko, nor is there a fulfilled back-story of how these characters fell in love. Although the feature is able to impressively convey aspects of their romantic connection with subtly and charm, this particular segment of the feature appears very interpretative, as though it is expected the audience shall fill in the blanks, and though further developing this story on screen would have caused the film to go well over two hours, I thoroughly believe it would have been worth it.

        Moreover, the end, though conclusive in its endeavors to close the plots developed during the narrative, may leave the viewer with a feeling of lacking completion, as though a more definitive end could have been made for Eiji's character. Despite this uncertainty, the revelation he receives pleasantly makes the entirety of the feature worth-while, and though criticisms regarding its slow pace could be emphasized, Dearest is a film that feels rewarding, both entertainingly and morally, with the life lessons it presents.
        helpful•4
        0
        • totalovrdose
        • Jun 18, 2015

        Details

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        • Release date
          • August 25, 2012 (Japan)
        • Country of origin
          • Japan
        • Language
          • Japanese
        • Also known as
          • 我最親愛的
        • Filming locations
          • Toyama Prison, Toyama, Japan
        • Production companies
          • Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
          • Chunichi Shimbun
          • Dentsu
        • See more company credits at IMDbPro

        Box office

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        • Gross worldwide
          • $26,723,916
        See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

        Technical specs

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        • Runtime
          1 hour 50 minutes
        • Color
          • Color
        • Sound mix
          • Dolby Digital
        • Aspect ratio
          • 1.85 : 1

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        Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Kyôzô Nagatsuka, Hideji Ôtaki, Kôichi Satô, Ken Takakura, Yûko Tanaka, Kimiko Yo, Haruka Ayase, Takahiro Miura, and Mieko Harada in Dearest (2012)
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