68
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe first movie I’ve seen about the disease that is told from the sick person’s point of view, not that of family members. The director, Yukihiko Tsutsumi, often uses a subjective camera to show the commonplace world melting into bewildering patterns and meanings.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckWhat distinguishes it are its intelligent, unsentimental screenplay, which only occasionally lapses into emotional manipulation; the assured direction by Yukihiko Tsutsumi; and the superb acting.
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoAs the wife, pixie-ish Kanako Higuchi provides the perfect accompaniment to Watanabe.
- 75TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghVeers regularly into disease-of-the-week territory but is rescued by the powerhouse performances of Ken Watanabe (who was instrumental in getting the film made) and Kanako Higuchi.
- 70VarietyVarietyPulses with firm conviction and gentle sincerity. For Western audiences, opening reels may seem a tad melodramatic, but by journey's end there won't be a dry eye in the house.
- 70The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMemories of Tomorrow finally understands that the real victim of this terrible affliction is the partner left behind.
- 70L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorThis heartfelt tale of disintegration and acceptance, seasoned with family devotion, will both raise and soothe the anxieties of those of us who regularly ask ourselves why we came into the kitchen two minutes ago.
- 63Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsChicago TribuneMichael PhillipsBy the time Watanabe encounters a holy senile fool in the forest, the film has foregone contemporary urban “King Lear” territory for something a lot closer to the Lifetime Channel.
- Charting its protagonist's agonizing slide into senility, the Japanese melodrama Memories of Tomorrow invites mostly unflattering comparisons with "Away From Her."
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceOf course, it's no surprise that a melodrama would be melodramatic. But that doesn't mean it has to be graceless--as "Away From Her" shows--and grace, that virtue most characteristic of Japanese film, is what Memories of Tomorrow completely lacks.