There's no getting away from the fact that Japan is a super-senior society. Age is on our minds, so it's surprising how Japanese films dealing with old age are rarely upbeat, especially those tackling dementia and other mental illnesses that come with growing old.
Enter "Do You Know What My Name is?" Not only is it upbeat, it's funny and charming, and offers a view on how the West is coping with similar issues.
Directors Shigeru Ota and Naomi Kazama took their cameras to Eliza Jennings Senior Care Network in Cleveland, where the residents and caregivers have joined forces to turn back the clock on dementia. And it's working. Evelyn, 93, who could never remember the name of her daily helper and whose voice at the beginning of the film is weak and troubled, seems to shed decades right before our eyes.
The solution isn't drugs or conventional therapy but a Japanese learning method based on the belief that the brain is a mysteriously resilient organ, capable of delaying and ultimately reversing the effects of senility. It's almost like seeing "Flowers for Algernon" go backwards.
For a chance to win one of three pairs of tickets, visit jtimes.jp/film.
| Rating | |
|---|---|
| Director | Shigeru Ota, Naomi Kazama |
| Language | English |
| Opens | Opens March 1, 2014 |
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