Memories of Matsuko

I have decided to keep posting about films that get overlooked here in the US that deserve attention. I know some of my friends who check this blog from time to time would be interested in seeing the incredible Memories of Matsuko, the latest from director Tetsuya Nakashima (Kamikaze Girls). Memories of Matsuko is like a Lars Von Trier film on a colorful Asian acid trip. The film begins with a young man who is told to go clean out the apartment of his deceased aunt Matsuko. Previously unaware of Matsuko's existence, the nephew sets about discovering who his aunt was and what led her to exile from the family and from the world. Turns out Matsuko,(played by a pitch-perfect Miki Nakatani) like Von Trier's heroines, is a beautiful woman who makes fatal mistake after fatal mistake while trying to save the men in her life. Playing out like an English kitchen sink drama, disaster strikes again and again for Matsuko, whose faith in horrible men destroy her faith in herself.
Sound like a downer? Yep! But it's a glorious downer, and a hell of an experience. The film bears more visual resemblance to the films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet than those of Von Trier. With stunning musical numbers and a vibrant color palette, Memories of Matsuko is exhilarating and heartbreaking. Unfortunately, no release date has been confirmed for a domestic DVD release. So go hunt it down from your favorite shiesty import DVD seller on ebay or get the excellently subbed Chinese R3 release and watch it on your region-free player.