Memories of Matsuko (2006)
9/10
By far the best film we've watched with the Film Club.
The way the director pulled this off by blending genres like Musical and Comedy that I don't even like is genuinely incredible.
The absurdity at the start hits you like slamming into a wall. You just stand there thinking "what is happening right now?" — and slowly, it eases you into the rules of its cartoonish world, until you fully accept the film's reality.
As it goes on, you find yourself completely absorbed in Matsuko's bittersweet story. Layer by layer, the story keeps touching on one theme after another. It's impossible not to see yourself in every single one of Matsuko's struggles.
By the end, everything you dismissed at first as "what is this nonsense" has completely swallowed you up — you end up fully believing the story with your whole heart, spellbound by the ending, and that's not something every film can pull off.
Long story short: watch it, make others watch it, this is a really great film.
A couple of notes: "umami" seemed like it might be a typo or specific word choice (maybe meant to evoke something bittersweet/rich in flavor about her life story) — I translated it as "bittersweet" to fit the sense, but let me know if you meant something more literal or specific there.