Memories of Matsuko

Plot

The story begins with Sho cleaning out the remaining belongings of his recently deceased aunt Matsuko. Sho gradually learns many details of his aunt's life, and it is through his investigations that the audience learns the story of Matsuko's past.

In the 1970 - 1971, Matsuko was a popular junior high school teacher in Ōkawa, Fukuoka. However, she was sexually harassed by vice-principal, and when one of her students (Ryu) committed a theft, and Matsuko took the blame for him, this had terrible consequences for her life.

The film also reveals some details of Matsuko's earlier life, including a troubled childhood, when she struggled to gain the attention of her father. Matsuko's father's affection was mostly dominated by her chronically ill sister, which created an imbalanced rivalry where Matsuko's needs were less likely to be met.

Matsuko's relationships with men were generally troubled as well. She moved from relationship to relationship with men who gave her some inkling of affection, though it was often accompanied by abuse. She often found herself abandoned by the men she loved, who couldn't cope with her neediness. She continued to pursue her dreams of perfect love, even as her life spiraled down, and she found herself working as a prostitute, and even imprisoned.

When Matsuko met later in life with Ryu, whom she saved from the charges relating to his theft, she found that he held affection and admiration for her. She saw in him another chance for true love. But Ryu, by this time, was deeply entrenched in a criminal life. He decided that it would be best for him to disappear from her life, to protect her from the risks of life with a gangster. This final abandonment was disastrous for Matsuko, who never knew to what extent she affected the lives of the men who loved her. In July 9 2001, Matsuko was beaten to death by a gang of junior high school students in a park near Kita-Senju Station.

Cast

Home media

The film has been released in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray by Third Window Films.

Awards

2007 Japanese Academy Award Winner – Best Actress, Best Music, Best Editing

2006 Japanese Professional Award Winner – Best Actress [1]