"2009 Lost Memories"... A Serious Fiction With A Hidden Political Message...Back To The Present....Getting Started.......Looking Ahead.......................
A Serious Fiction (2009)
Greetings from Singapore.
I'm deeply impressed and thrilled by this movie "2009 Lost Memories.
Going by the title, initially I had thought it's about a person who has lost his memory and only came to realise that the main storyline is actually about re-writing of history by a right-wing group in Japan after watching it to the end on our local TV network!
Most K-dramas and K-movies truly "train" the audience how to observe and to
think to piece the various events together. In "2009 Lost Memories" based on viewing it once, it is difficult to understand the whole story line as the movie starts off with the conclusion that history has already been re-written!
To piece together the storyline in a logical sequence for ease of understanding, you need to do some "reverse engineering" by watching it forward and backward like reading an e-History book !
In the end I went to buy the VCD version to rewatch a few times taking note of details such as objects, historical dates and the silent, intensed facial expressions of the cast. To sum up it was an enriching experience indeed like attending a History class.
I'm very amazed by this movie's production which I believe has the "All-In" ingredients for a great movie for example:
1) Flavour
The script ...a bit of history...(1909 Harbin, China)...ancient mystery (The Lunar Soul)....Futuristic (2009) Seoul becoming a part of Japan...and yet not forgetting the hidden political message to be conveyed on re-writing history
2) Production Style and Skills
A serious and adsorbing movie very well packaged with momentum, substance & style.....fast-paced and action-packed that keeps you "glued" to the TV set
3) Content
Quite a fair and balanced representation of views from both sides, stressing on the internal torments and dilemma faced by both lead actors at the friendship level and at the country level. You can see and feel the inevitable compromising positions the 2 sides have to make as reflected implicitly on the facial expressions of the 2 lead actors where less is more. I find it a very interesting and creative way of learning some "history" via this movie by the way the political issue is being de-sensitised
4) Great Screen Charisma
Charismatic cast members, great shooting techniques (eg moving & revolving camera, close-up shots, helicopter view down, bottom up, shooting from outside in and inside out, connecting related scenes together etc) have all added depth and momentum to the story telling process. Not forgetting the moving background
music cum cinematography to enhance the movie mood which seem to behold your attention forever
Back To The Present (2006)
Personally I have always been amazed by Japan's ability to modernise without having to learn English. It is a land of contrast whereby one can be so modern and yet so traditional such as having a very advanced forward looking economic system and an "ancient" political system co-existing side by side!
Japan's ability to rise to become an economic powerhouse like Germany has had attracted a number of outsiders to learn from the Japanese experience back in the 1980s.......
Getting Started (Thinking & Learning Together)
At The People's Level
With due respect, perhaps through K-dramas, K productions could in the long run help to broaden the mindset and thinking of Japanese people in view of the Korean Waves reaching Japan and beyond, connecting audience beyond race, language and religion.
As such helping Japanese people to see beyond Japanese interest, perceptions, interpretations to cultivate a bigger heart to accomodate other point of views above conformity.
At The Political Level (WhY Japan Can Afford To be Herself)
In part, due to the uniqueness of Japan civilisation it seems difficult or there's no apparent urgency for Japan to reform her political system to come to terms with history perhaps due to the following reasons:
i) The divine status of the Emperor unlike Germany, the German people can move on and learn from the painful lessons of history
ii) Japan is physically isolated with a language barrier to connect to the outside world. Foreigners I observe tend to become more Japanised than Japanese being internationalised. In continent Europe, Europeans travel and speak a few languages. As such one tend to be more knowledgeble and broad-minded.
If you were to visit Hiroshima War Museum, it is regretable to say that the focus is one-sided emphasising on the sufferings of her own people as though they were the only victims.
iii) Being an economic power, looks like Japan can still afford to set her own rules as she does not really depend on foreign investment.
Looking Ahead Beyond Shrine Visit
In today's global knowledge-based village whereby people are getting more connected via K-Dramas and K-Movies and availability of online platforms allowing for meaningful international exchange and sharing of thoughts, I sincerely hope that we all can work towards a more tolerant and understanding world.
Last but not least probably through K-productions (Eg MBC's War & Romance) Japanese people could indirectly have a better sense of history and for the younger generation in Asia, they could better relate and connect with the significance of memorial services conducted to mark the end of the war in their respective countries. Equally important helping China in her continued call to Japan to teach her younger generation history in the right context.
Thank you for your time and best regards,
Wee Fong-Fong
Singapore