It’s a universal truth that romantic relationships can either be the most rewarding experience one could have, or the most painful. But just because a relationship is filled with love, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will work out, no matter how much one tries to save it.
And although one might be eager to leave a failed relationship – and all its associated bitterness – behind, some memories are hard to forget.
This is precisely the lesson shared by Japanese filmmaker Matsui Daigo in his 2022 release, “Just Remembering”, one of 12 titles that will play at selected Golden Screen Cinema (GSC) outlets in conjunction with this year’s Japanese Film Festival from Sept 8 to Oct 9.
While this is a romance flick, it does not play out as you might expect. For one, its scenes are presented in reverse order, so rather than having a couple meet for the first time, you have them separated at the start.
As it goes on, the audience is sequentially shown the breakup, how the couple loved each other, and how they first met.
So, who are the not-so-happy couple? There’s Tenuo (Sosuke Ikematsu), a lighting technician whose former dancing career came to a halt because of an injury. And then there’s Yo (Sairi Ito), a taxi driver who is quite comfortable with her unusual choice of career.
In addition to the flipped sequence of events, the film largely takes place on July 26 in different years, that date being significant as it is Teruo’s birthday.
Why structure the movie in such an unusual manner? One interpretation could simply be that the director-writer Daigo was trying to create a work different from other romances out there.
The other argument could be that, by showing the couple post-breakup, the audience would be enticed into wanting to find out what happened between them.
Whether you find the structure novel or pretentious, the romance at the core of the film is very much solid.
“Communication is key” is something relationship therapists are likely to tell troubled couples again and again. “Just Remembering” points at communication, or the lack of, as the cause of Teruo and Yo’s relationship breakdown.
Indeed, while they might be compatible, they are still different from each other – and it is these differences that eventually drive a wedge between them. One such example is the reserved Teruo’s inability to share what’s bothering him, which gets on the more outspoken Yo’s nerves.
It’s all quite heartbreaking, as the audience sees this conflict before the film focuses on what they were like prior to the dissension.
Their relationship, as it turns out, was one you might have personally had before: innocent and carefree. In each other’s presence, they were once energetic and comfortable, playful with each other, reminiscent of young couples you might know who start off as friends before becoming soulmates.
Watching them interact with each other so lovingly makes the end – or, in this case, the start – of their story all the more tragic.
It helps that the actors portraying the two lovebirds have genuine onscreen chemistry together. Not once do their performances feel unconvincing as they fight and flirt.
Ultimately, “Just Remembering” is a somewhat ironic love letter to people who have loved and lost; who have thought every now and again about their former sweethearts and wondered what might have been.
It’s a reminder that, as with most things in life, it’s only human to wonder if a few choice decisions could have saved a past relationship or doomed it. But even if it has come to an end, it doesn’t mean the love that once burnt in your heart leaves no embers.
‘Just Remembering’ and other titles will be playing at selected GSC outlets from Sept 8 to Oct 9. Visit GSC’s website or click here for further information.