There is an old expression that may go something like: "You can't really miss me 'til I'm gone" to which this film might add: "forever, unexpectedly, and seemingly in a flash." The movie provides an emotionally powerful examination of the lingering impact of sudden death on those who live on by focusing on a philandering husband who was in a childless marriage, a hardworking absentee father, and this dad's two estranged young children. Both men (who were initially strangers) lose their wives (who were close friends) in a ski holiday bus accident. The tale is filled with regret, sadness, fear, and humor as well as many life-wise philosophical points of view and suggestions for the viewer to entertain. A tour de force by Director Miwa Nishikawa who also wrote the screenplay. The cast is excellent and principal characters are richly delineated under the guidance of the Director who also elicits very realistic performances from the two child actors (no easy task to pull off!) who steal every scene they are in (which is most of the movie!). Actresses Tamaki Shiratori (playing a precocious preschooler) delivers many of the best lines. Cinematography and lighting are fine. Music is a bit heavy on violins at the beginning. Subtitles can be inadequate with humorous line readings truncated or skipped entirely. Text on computer screens and cell phones is usually not translated leaving the viewer wondering what is going on and why. Some closing credits are translated. Highly recommended. Viewed at Japan Society (NY) Flash Forward Film Event (2021) and JAS CineMatsuri (2017). WILLIAM FLANIGAN.

Others have explained what this film is about, so I'll just describe my feelings about it. Overall, this is a good film. It's typical Japanese, so it's very slow moving :) Don't expect fast-moving action with this film. It starts off very well, but it does get a bit cheesy in places. However, it's well acted, and it's filmed very well. The script and dialogue are also pretty good. Overall, a thumbs up from me. A tad cheesy here and there but it's worth a watch. 6.5/10 is my score.

LONG EXCUSES / THE LONG EXCUSE (NAGAI IIWAKE). Viewed at CineMatsuri 2017. Cinematography = four (4) stars; subtitles/translations = three (3) stars. Director Miwa Nishikawa (also credited with writing the screenplay based on her novel) starts with a dramatic tragedy that quickly dissolves into mostly modest family humor focused on proxy parenting of precious children. A childless husband becomes a baby sitter for the children of an absentee father (he's on the road a lot) after both men (who are initially strangers) lose their wives (who are close friends) in a ski holiday bus accident. Nishikawa forte seems to be her knowledge of the cares/concerns/antics of children, and is a suburb director of her child actors. Not so much for her adult male actors who spend considerable time, well, just posturing. Overall, the Director appears to have a problem fully executing her very creative script. The film lacks much in the way of a dramatic dynamic range the viewer might expect given the plot line and loses altitude from time to time (partly due to over dosing on posturing). Female child actress Tamaki Shiratori (playing a preschooler) and child male actor Kenshin Fujita (as a grade school student) steal every scene they are in (which is most of the movie)! Cinematography (semi-wide screen, DCP, color) is uneven (beach shots are under exposed) and the overall image is a bit on the grainy side (from being blown up to a larger analog format?). Subtitles and translations are conspicuously lacking through out. Many humorous line readings are truncated/skipped in the subtitles. Text on computer screens is inadequately translated leaving the viewer wondering what is being searched for and why. Music is okay. Surround-sound field seems to be among the missing. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.