Summary
Daigo Matsui’s knack for following characters through life — in all of its warts — comes to the fore in this chronologically backwards love story.
There’s an immediate sense of place in Daigo Matsui’s latest film. As he drives us through urban streets, showcasing a mixture of imagery both ordinary and iconic, what we see is unmistakeably Tokyo. Matsui’s films are a little bit like that city: hard to neatly pop into a single box — but you know one when you see it.
After a series of early career manga adaptations, the Japanese filmmaker found his sweet spot films like the coming of age comedy/drama Our Huff and Puff Journey and the electric Japanese Girls Never Die. So, there’s some degree of familiarity with JUST REMEMBERING (ちょっと思い出しただけ). Just as Remain in Twilight took place over 12 years, his latest film follows the development of a relationship over five. It follows the romance between former dancer Teruo (Sosuke Ikematsu) and girlfriend Yo (Sairi Itoh).
If it isn’t too much of a giveaway, the novelty this time is that it’s a story told in reverse. We slowly discover that Teruo gave up dancing due to an injury and now manages the stage lighting, while we taxi driver Yo struggle with letting her guard down a little bit. The approach can be disarming at times, and off-putting at others, and one suspects that it is a film that will require at least a second viewing to fully appreciate its charms.
Matsui unapologetically acknowledges the influence of Jim Jarmusch, with clips from anthology film Night on Earth literally used in the film. The image of Winona Ryder’s character Corky looms large during interstitial moments, frequently juxtaposed with Yo’s ennui. What goes around comes around we guess: Jarmusch was unquestionably influenced by Japanese cinema at various points in his career, having cited an exposure to Imamura, Ozu, and Mizoguchi as important turning points. Closer to home, there’s a few dashes of Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Rikiya Imaizumi in here as well.
Filled with observational moments, including a romantic moment in a blue-lit aquarium, Matsui particularly takes his time to linger on performance. (Indeed, the film is said to have been inspired by the song “Night on the Planet’ by rock band CreepHyp). An entire live music piece plays out in full, as the filmmaker resolutely puts his trademark stamp on the picture. The film closes out on a musical dance number on the nature of remembering. Perhaps Matsui is reminding us that all relationships are a kind of performance. Or, as one character more succinctly puts it, “Some things don’t need words.”
Bittersweet and often melancholy, JUST REMEMBERING doesn’t quite have the same impact of some of Matsui’s other recent work. There’s a sidebar story about a man waiting for his wife that feels so out of place that it only gets a mention at this point in the review. That said, his fans are sure to find something in here they like — not least of which is a stellar performance from Sairi Ito and the internationally recognised Sosuke Ikematsu. As one character reminds us, a lot goes on in an adult’s life, and here Matsui has managed to capture some of its malaise in a bottle.
2021 | Japan | DIRECTOR: Daigo Matsui | WRITERS: Daigo Matsui | CAST: Sosuke Ikematsu, Sairi Itoh, Reika Oozeki, Toshiki Hirose | DISTRIBUTOR: Tokyo Theatres, Fantasia Film Festival | RUNNING TIME: 115 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 14 July – 3 August 2022 (Fantasia)
