1 Litre of Tears Reviews

My heart's broken. Throughout the film I had to fight back tears, no easy task. Even though the film finished 3 hours ago (time of writing this review), I'm still choking back tears and pulling myself together. It is based on true events. Aya Kito was diagnosed with spinocerebellar axatia at the age of 15. She lived, and fought, this incurable disease for 10 years, before finally succumbing to it at the age of 25. In that 10 years of suffering, she wrote a diary named 1 Litre no Namida, or 1 Litre of Tears, which was filled with all of her thoughts, emotions and day-to-day life happenings. Aya Kito's suffering, on paper, may seem painful but this film manages to make it excruciating, and preserves her memory in a very wonderful way. The tagline "Based on true events" is something we've all come to hate. No matter which decade the film was released, many of us, me included, avoid it like the plague because they are nothing more than marketing ploys and/or shams. This film, however, is none of that. It is a genuine film of undaunted courage and genuine free-flowing-tears sadness.

The film, within a two minutes, sums up the whole story for us. The pacing of the film is quite an issue. Some might say unconventional, some slow, but I say it honestly felt like a very long TV episode. But you know what? I'm glad they stuck with that slow pace because it breathed life in every minute. Remember, this is not a Hollywood film which pretends they are preserving a memory but in reality are thinking about the bling! bling! bling! Everything is beautifully laid out, and nondescript this film may be in front of other Asian films, the fact that it is full of heart and bravery cannot be denied.

1 Litre of Tears may not altogether make you throw your arms in the air and shout out that it is the greatest film ever made, but it might definitely make an impression on you, mostly by Asae Onishi's fearless, courageous performance that is bound to win hearts of viewers. Asae Onishi - who plays the lead role of Aya Kito - was the 3 D's: Delicate,Dedicated and Downright courageous. She so wonderfully, and flawlessly, glided to and fro in her role, almost like a ballerina on an expansive ice ring. Her beautiful looks and dimply smile, topped with an impressive A+ performance, is something I wouldn't mind seeing again. She bought heart, charisma, soul and realism to her character and made Aya Kito a person you once knew but lost track somewhere down the line. Innocently played, but ferociously delivered.

From the forty-five minute mark onward, the film kinda doubles on the tears and the inclusion of more disabled characters really gives you a big, and sympathetic, view on the disabled. Pity them, you don't. Admire them, you should. I noticed a pattern; The more the disease takes a toll, the more better Asae Onishi's performance gets. In the last 30-or-so minutes, her performance can be described as unbeatable in her own right. I mean, I have nothing but praise for her performance. The others were not bad, either. Unfortunately I cannot get a listing of the cast and the roles they played so I cannot mention them here, lest I mix them up. But they were all equally great, and likable, in their respective roles. Chemistry-wise, too, they were all superb.

In conclusion, 1 Litre of Tears is a film solely for the Kleenex audience. It is a courageous film that tugs at your heart-strings, and only the hardest of the the hearts can fail to be moved. Aya Kito may have cried a litre's worth of tears, but I must've cried a gallon's worth... or at-least my heart did, if not my eyes!

8.5/10