sweet memory of first love - Love Letter

26.02.10

People say time heals all wounds and I wasn't the exception. Because there is nothing I can do, nothing that anyone can do to make you feel better, especially when you are deeply hurt from love. That bleeding wound will not heal for a long time, if it can ever be healed.

I've heard about this movie so much yet I never had a chance to watch it till today. And I am not regretting it. It demonstrates that time isn’t always enough to make the grief go away. Sometimes, it takes persistence, caring friends, and maybe a simple blast from the fate just to get things moving.

It all began after the 2^nd anniversary of Itsuki’s death. Hiroko, Itsuki’s fiancée sends a letter to Itsuki's previous address that she found from his yearbook. She finds out from his mother that the house  has been torn down years ago due to motorway construction. Yet she sends a short letter to presumably nonexisting address for a closure. However to her surprise she receives a response letter from Itsuki.

I thought the story involves time travelling, just like the Lake House or Time Traveller's Wife. But soon I realized that I was wrong. Hiroko’s letters were delivered to another Itsuki, a woman with the same name who was in the same class with the male Itsuki in junior high school.

With my bad eyesight of recognosing faces, it took a while for me to realize that Hiroko and the female Itsuki are played by the same actress. Oh once I realized this it all made so much more sense. The story unfolds the reason of intentional resemblance between the two female characters. Before the male Itsuki passed away he has told Hiroko that it was love at first sight. But as she exchanges letters with female Itsuki she realizes that he loved her because she resembled the female Itsuki. What a bastard! But guess it has made it easier for Hiroko to get over him... but just imagining me in her shoe hurts me... what the!

Though I thought Hiroko was the main character, the surprise of Love Letter is that it is really the female Itsuki who is certainly the focus of the movie. Once she finds out that the make Itsuki was in love with her - she finds it too hurtful to continue writing to Hiroko. What a contrast to Hiroko huh. 

I would love to take photos of beautiful scenes of the movie - Hiroko lying on the snowy mountain, female Itsuki waiting for male Itsuki at the bike stand wearing school uniform, them riding bikes together, Hiroko putting a letter into Itsuki’s mailbox, Hiroko yelling “Ogenki desuka…! Watashi wa genki desu…!!” at the snow mount at the sunrise…. The background of cold, damp, heavy snowing winter days is very well balanced with gentle, romantic sentimental love story. 

Ahh… feel like going back and revise my Japanese. Would love to understand all of it without subtitles…!

After watching the movie I feel like writing you a letter

Ooops but I've already written one today and sent it to you!!

Hope you receive it soon? :)