Now streaming on Amazon Prime! 'Fragments of the Last Will'

This article is an updated version of a past post.

Don't you want to recommend a movie to others when you see a good one?

I wanted everyone in the country to see this movie so much that I wrote two articles on note and received over 500 likes. I even received comments from people saying they went to see the movie after reading my review.

However, I wasn't satisfied with that, so I sent a message to the radio show Nino hosts every week!

It was my first time sending a message to a radio show.
The content was something like,
'Nino, you started Twitter, right? I'm on note, and I've decided to write about your activities there. In particular, I went to see Fragments of the Last Will as soon as it was released and have been spreading my thoughts on it on note.'
I even included a link to my note.

As of now, this message hasn't been read yet. (I probably don't think it ever will be.)
But after being moved by the movie, while I used to only talk to friends, now there are many tools like note where individuals can broadcast information, and I even ended up sending a message to a radio show.

This is Nino's radio program.

Below are my thoughts on the movie.
I went to see 'Fragments of the Last Will,' released on 12/9. A 'lager' is a Siberian internment camp.

Synopsis

The story is about people interned in a Siberian camp who survive harsh conditions while holding onto the hope of returning to Japan, and it is also a story about the families waiting for their return in Japan.

Reasons to watch Fragments of the Last Will
I will write the first half without spoilers and the second half with spoilers.

1. It is necessary to know this as a true story

I am not a fan of war-related movies.
It is painful for anyone to see people dying or suffering.
Many people might be hesitant to watch this movie because they don't want to feel depressed.

But this movie is not just about war or the post-war period; it is a film that makes you realize human dignity and the meaning of living.

There is the fact that about 600,000 people were interned in Siberia.
The story also has a good pace, and the 2-hour and 14-minute runtime flies by.

2. The acting of the main cast is wonderful

Kazunari Ninomiya, Tori Matsuzaka, Kenta Kiritani, Ken Yasuda, Kento Nakajima, and Keiko Kitagawa are all actors who can play lead roles. (Titles omitted)
I will write about the scenes that left an impression for each actor in the spoiler section.

There is not a single person who gives an exaggerated or self-indulgent performance, and the great teamwork comes through.

You can see sides of these actors different from their previous works, and the cast members in the camp who are not mentioned here are also wonderful.
There were some people whose names I learned from the pamphlet.
It seems Director Zeze remembered the names of all the cast members in the camp, which consisted of three teams.

3. Reconfirming what is necessary to live and being able to be grateful for the current situation

Through this movie, I keenly felt that people cannot live just by having food and a place to sleep.
What kept them alive in such a chaotic environment was
the hope that they could return home.And in the harsh working environment, their entertainment included baseball, haiku, dogs, bathing, family, and letters.

I was able to reconfirm that without hope and entertainment, people cannot find meaning in life.
Watching this movie makes you feel grateful for your current situation and want to cherish it.

4. Theme song

The theme song is 'Soranji' by Mrs. GREEN APPLE.'Soranji' seems to be a coined word derived from 'soranjiru' (to recite from memory).You will understand the meaning of 'soranjiru' if you watch the movie. The theme song that plays during the end credits has a grand scale and evokes the Siberian sky. I have posted the trailer with the theme song at the top of this article.

It seems that Mr. Omori of Mrs. GREEN APPLE deprived himself of water to put his body in an extreme state when writing these lyrics, losing about 5 kilograms.

Mr. Omori talks about this on Nino's YouTube channel.

5. First co-starring of Kazunari Ninomiya and Kento Nakajima

Since both of them are my favorites, I went to see the movie. The two are from Arashi and Sexy Zone.
Although they are idols, they act just as well as the other actors.
However, I know some people dislike Johnny's idols, so for those people, please watch it because Keiko Kitagawa is also in it.

Spoilers

Memorable scenes by actor

1. Kazunari Ninomiya

The scene where Yamamoto, who was everyone's hope, gets cancer and is hospitalized.
On a promotional program, Tori Matsuzaka said that the most memorable part of Nino's acting was his voice when he was sick.
The raspiness of his voice, his gentle expression despite being ill, and his acting as he tried to keep living were wonderful.
His Russian was also good, and there is so much I want to say about Nino, but I will write about it in detail in the next article.

2. Tori Matsuzaka

The sit-in scene
Tori Matsuzaka was really thin and looked completely different from his usual self.
His restrained acting throughout the film doubles the sadness of the story, but the scene where he takes action for the first time and gets everyone involved in a sit-in so that Yamamoto can receive treatment left a lasting impression on me.

3. Kenta Kiritani

The scene where he calls him by his name, Yamamoto
In the first half, he played a demon sergeant who was strict and possessed a sense of madness, but in the scene where Yamamoto is hospitalized,
the scene where he calls him by his name, Yamamoto, instead of 'First Class Private,' was overflowing with kindness. The contrast with the first half was amazing.

4. Kenichi Matsuyama

The scene where he had been keeping his distance from others but is invited to play baseball and hits his head on the bed. Apparently, he was the cleanup hitter at Keio.
His quiet yet impactful acting was a presence that tightened the whole movie.

5. Kento Nakajima

The scene where he enjoys a moment of pleasure from labor by bathing.
He appears from the middle of the film, and from then on, the atmosphere of the camp becomes a little brighter.
The scenes where he holds the dog and learns to write from Yamamoto are also memorable.

6. Keiko Kitagawa

The scene where she finds out he passed away while preparing to go to Maizuru to welcome her husband home, and she goes out into the garden crying, grabbing mud, and screaming 'Liar!'
She was too beautiful no matter what she did.

7. The scene where the four of them convey the will to Mojimi

It was a scene that proved Yamamoto's teaching that even if the written will is taken away, what you have memorized cannot be taken away.
It is just like Yamamoto that the will to his wife starts with 'Well done.'

8. All the scenes with Kuro

On a program, they showed Kento Nakajima reuniting with Kuro a year after filming, and I had seen what kind of training the trainer did for this movie, so it was even more moving.
Apparently, Kuro's real name is Daikichi.

9. The scene where everyone sings Oh My Darling, Clementine

The smiles of the detainees as they sit in protest to get Yamamoto examined at an outside hospital, singing 'Oh My Darling' in the rain. Apparently, it happened to rain on the day of the shoot, so it became a rain scene.

10. The scene where Yamamoto stops Aizawa (Kenta Kiritani), who has become desperate, by telling him that he must live.

Upon learning through a letter that his pregnant wife back in Japan has passed away, Aizawa becomes desperate and tries to leave the camp. That is when Yamamoto stops him.
It seems Nino was worried about how to stop Kenta Kiritani, who is physically larger than him, but again, it happened to snow, making it difficult to walk and easier to hold him back.
The weather is also on the side of this film.

Is it a tear-jerker?

This film is advertised as one that will make you cry, but for me, tears welled up and spilled over several times.
I could hear everyone in the theater crying. How much you cry depends on the person, butplease bring a handkerchief and a spare mask when you go to the theater.

Pamphlet

I bought a movie pamphlet for the first time in a while.
I haven't been buying them lately since information is available online, but this time I bought it after watching the movie and read it from cover to cover that same day.
The full text of Mr. Yamamoto's will is included.

List of theaters

I really want everyone to see it, so I've posted a link so you can find a theater near you.

I wrote a serious review of the movie today, so next, I wrote my thoughts as a fan of Kazunari Ninomiya and Kento Nakajima just the way I wanted to.
That article is here.