Sekai no chshin de, ai wo sakebu (2004) Crying Out Love in the Center of the World

Directed by Isao Yukisada

Starring Takao Osawa, Kou Shibasaki, Masami Nagasawa, Mirai Moriyama

Sentimental , melodramatic, romance tinged with guilt, loss, and painful memories. The story flits between the present and the past connected by the weather, a typhoon brings back memories of lost love painfully stolen by a tragic untimely death caused by leukemia or atom bomb disease as its known in Japan.

This is a very well constructed film, with the time flips and little clues it comes across like a whodunit, it reflects on the joys and the silly mistakes we all make especially when we are young and still trying to work out who we are. The story is redemptive, one person is able to unburden their guilt while another can move on with their life, not forgetting but not living on past regrets.

A tear jerker that has a running time of over two hours, normally this would instantly turn me off but I have to admit, it worked, the story hooked me and Ill even admit to having a tear in my eye. It was the most successful non-animated film released in Japan in 2004.

Highly recommended for the story, the editing and the scenery.

Cheers Trev

No BBFC rating yet but 12 at the most. 

Region 3 ntsc DVD available from several retailers.