This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

This is an excellent film to watch. The narrative style, music, art style and story will capture your mind and hearts. For those that are or have gone through similar events it will bring tears of everything...sorrow, sadness, happiness and hope.The acting is top notch by all the actors. The camera work and even the cgi's are well done. The music is a mixture and well thought out. The simple little song will get to you eventually, it's unbelievable. This is one of my few all best movies to watch over and over. I just love it. I highly recommend watching it if you haven't seen it yet. I think it will appeal a lot more to females but men like me when enjoy it just as much.Edit 12/01/2013 After reading some of the more recent reviews I feel, still, that so many simply cannot understand this movie. Those that claim to understand it the most are the worst as they completely missed the point. Yes it is about the good and bad in life but more importantly it is about this one person (or woman if you prefer) journal and why she took that journey. If you cannot understand the simple fact that although she initially wanted to break away she ultimately is really on a search to find family, a home. What started at the beginning is what ends at her life, simply beautiful. 90% of you don't even know what I mean by this.I am really astonish and sad for those that can't fully enjoy and understand this movie.

The film tells the story of a woman named Matsuko, who is recently deceased, as her nephew Sho uncovers her story piece by piece by talking to people she knew. Matsuko's life is tragic. She seems to go from hard times to hard times. But despite this despair her heart is always open. Her younger sister is very ill and as a result, her father is often to preoccupied with her to show young Matsuko the love that she craves from him. As a result Matsuko is desperate to be loved, and cannot help but become head over heels in love with every man that she has relations with. Unfortunately this leads to her being abused by many of these men and getting into lots of trouble along the way. She sees her life as a fairy tale, which the director illustrates by modelling the movie on a classic musical romance. The film's style is bright and magical which means that, like Matsuko herself, you feel as if this tale can only have a happy ending. Unfortunately for Matsuko her tale is actually very real and tragic and ends with her falling through the cracks of society and dying alone and dirty in a mess of an apartment.The first time I saw this film I cried quite epically and carried on doing so for about half an hour after the film was finished. Which is very unusual, because I had never cried over a film up until that moment. I could not stop thinking about the film for a few days afterwards and even now I'll think of it from time to time and some of those emotions come back. There's just something about this film which seems to deeply penetrate your emotional centre in a way that you would not expect a film to do. I would definitely recommend seeing this film, as it is a cinematic masterpiece.

The premise was intriguing, the actors were fine and, given a competent director, this could have been a very good film. Unfortunately, the director is some hack who thinks MTV-style rock videos is the pinnacle of film art and many of the more confusing flashback sequences play out as such. Switching viewpoints also didn't make sense as the boy had no way of figuring out that part given the data at his disposal. Worse is that I saw this on the same evening I enjoyed the vastly superior Japanese film ALWAYS - SUNSET ON 3rd STREET and the contrast between that one and the disjointed MEMORIES OF ... nearly fried my neural pathways. People who enjoy 'different' for different's sake might enjoy it, but otherwise, steer well clear.

As a matter of fact, the only film I can remember crying over is the brilliant "Babette's Feast"."Matsuko" has a quality not unlike "Amelie", but mixed with a "Moulin Rouge" sensibility. It's part "Roger Rabbit" and part "Casablanca" -- never before have I seen stylistic pastiche used with such forethought and precision. Some will find "Matsuko" sentimental and predictable -- but I think that doesn't matter: It's the storytelling that's important in this film and not, necessarily, the story."Matsuko" may not be a "great" film but, like "Babette" and "Amelie," I will want to see it again. I have a feeling that many people will react to the film in a similar fashion.