Memorizu

After his father-in-law breaks his leg, Yuta travels to a rural town in Kyushu to lend a hand at the photo studio he runs in this beautiful meditation on memory, time, and the power of images to connect people and family.


After his father-in-law Makoto fractures his leg, young professional Yuta travels from his home in Tokyo to a rural town in Kyushu to take care of the older man and help out in his old-fashioned photo studio. Leaving behind his wife and daughter in Tokyo, Yuta stays in contact through exchanged smartphone videos and photographs. As little details of daily life accumulate through this succession of recordings and memories, their lives as a family are brought gently and vividly to light.

Director Miiku Sakanishi’s debut feature is a beautiful, sensorial meditation on memory and the passage of time, as well as the role of photography in our experience of both. A film of notable maturity, Memorizu, with its beautifully composed cinematography and moving performances, is a stirring tribute to the power of images and their integration into the fabric of our lives.—Jason Gutierrez