Why You Should Watch: Back to Field (Mainland Chinese Variety Show)
This is the heartwarming edition (i.e. movies with all sorts of bittersweet and melancholy vibes) for this weekend's film recommendations. I hope you all will enjoy watching them.
Love Letter
Country: Japan Year: 1995 Genre: Romance, Drama
Synopsis: While looking through her dead fiancé’s high school yearbook, Hiroko in a fit of grief, decides to write a letter to him using his old school address. Surprisingly, she receives a reply from a woman with the same name who had known Hiroko's fiancé in school. A relationship develops between the two women as they continue to exchange letters and share memories of the dead Itsuki.
Why you should watch it: While the story may seem boring and slow-paced at first, it eventually gives you all the feelings: nostalgia for forgotten, sweet memories, as well as bittersweetness for unrealized feelings. Along the way, as you watch it unfold, you will find yourself immersed in the story without knowing it. It is a bittersweet yet beautiful story with a unique plot. Acting-wise, the female lead makes it very believable and realistic.
Watch the fan-made MV here. (Warning: may contain spoilers):
Beyond the Memories
Country: Japan Year: 2013 Genre: Manga, Romance
Synopsis: Kanna Seto lost her childhood friend Haruta in a car accident when she was a high school freshman. Carrying the emotional pain from that incident throughout her life, Kanna is still wounded as an adult. Kanna then meets Roku Akazawa, who also carries a painful experience from his past.
Why you should watch this: This is a story about two people burdened with guilt, finding love again in each other’s arms. It is another beautiful story where the two love stories – Childhood and adult versions – are very well-developed. While the younger storyline has sweetness, the adults’ storyline has depth and is more heartfelt. This movie also subtly deals with guilt and death.
Watch the fan-made MV here. (Warning: may contain spoilers):
Orange
Country: Japan Year: 2015
Genre: Drama, Friendship, Life, Manga, Romance, School, Supernatural, Tragedy, Youth
Synopsis: One day, Takamiya Naho receives a letter written to herself from ten years in the future. As Naho reads on, the letter recites the exact events of the day, including the transfer of a new student into her class, named Naruse Kakeru.
Why you should watch this: I know there are several movies where adults go back to the past trying to change the future to get a better future. This movie is different in a way that there is a noble purpose behind this letter. It is not only for herself, not just to make a different future, but also to live without regrets. While it has a lovely theme of friendship and high school romance, this movie deals with regrets and suicide in a more serious tone. You might feel overwhelmed by the message it gives and even shed a few tears.
Watch the MV here:
