My dearest lonely yet warm life journey

"My Dearest" is the latest starring role by legendary Japanese actor Ken Takakura since "Kita no Kuni Kara," six years in the making. It also marks his twentieth collaboration with director Yoji Yamada and his 205th film in his acting career. The original story is based on the posthumous work of the late writer Seichi Ichiko, adapted by Yamada together with playwright Takeshi Aoshima to create an entirely new storyline.

 

Have you conveyed the most important thoughts in your heart to the most important person in your heart?

 

The story follows Kurashima Eiji (played by Ken Takakura), a guidance officer at a prison in Hokuriku, as he tries to adjust to life alone after the death of his wife Yoko (played by Yuko Tanaka). Through postcards sent by his wife during her lifetime, he embarks on a journey to understand her feelings. Along the way, he encounters various people and events: high school teacher Sugino (played by Takeshi Kitano), bento sellers Tamiya (played by Joe Odagiri) and Nanbara (played by Kōichi Satō), the cafeteria owner (played by Kimiko Yo) and her daughter (played by Haruka Ayase). Each relationship—fraught with its own issues—revolves around family, love, joy, and sorrow, all of which reawaken his reflections on life, death, and familial bonds. Gradually, warm and beautiful memories of his wife also begin to resurface in his mind. After many twists and turns, he finally reaches Yoko's hometown, where Eiji comes to deeply feel his wife's emotions and intentions.

The director delicately and sincerely captures the deep love between husband and wife through one real-scene shot after another, as well as the everyday lives of different people encountered by the protagonist on his journey. Through this work, the director also aims to convey the real importance of human connection in modern Japanese society, where interpersonal relationships have become distant. It can be called Japan's most touching tearjerker of the year. The cast is especially stellar: Yuko Tanaka from "Oshin," Kōichi Satō from "The Magic Hour," Takeshi Kitano from "Zatoichi," Joe Odagiri from "My Girlfriend’s 1778 Stories," Kimiko Yo from "Departures: Music of the Soul," and Haruka Ayase from "Crazy for Study: Roman Holiday." It brings together a dream team of actors spanning three generations—young, middle-aged, and veteran.

 

The film premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival in Canada and won the Catholic Prize for Humanity, with the jury unanimously praising its profound depiction of human nature and interpersonal relationships, along with its outstanding overall performance. After returning to Japan and officially releasing, the film received widespread acclaim, grossing over 2 billion yen at the box office and earning nominations in 12 categories at the Japan Academy Film Prize. Now, the film is finally set to be released in Taiwan this April. Its seemingly ordinary yet deeply moving and heartfelt story is bound to touch the hearts of audiences bit by bit.