Goddess in the Toilet (sorry, no trailer available, so I posted a clip), an adaptation of Japanese singer/songwriter Kana Uemura's song Toilet no Kamisama about her late grandmother, is the most touching, lovely movie I have ever laid eyes on. The plot is so simple, yet the sweet, well-thought details make this movie a hit on my blog. It was produced by MBS and directed by Hajime Takezono as a drama in January 2011.
Goddess in the Toilet starts out as a funny comedy with a twist, and turns in a very serious yet inspirational direction. When she was 8 years old, she lived at her grandmother's house next door to her parents, playing gomoku, eating noodle soup when they went out shopping, and watching Yoshimoto Shinkigeki. Her grandmother especially told her that a beautiful goddess lives in the toilet, if she cleaned it every day, she'll turn out to be as beautiful as the goddess. As Uemura grew older, they stayed together still (actually the real Uemura grew very apart from her grandmother). Her grandmother gave her very good advice from achieving her dreams to dealing with her boyfriend. Her grandmother later became more ill when Uemura left for Tokyo to pursue her hopes of becoming a singer, and was hospitalized. Her grandmother could not say much and the next morning died quietly in her sleep. Uemura believes her grandmother was waiting for her.
There are no reviews in English or Chinese that I could easily find (guess I am the first). I personally feel like this movie was breathtaking. The characters are very relatable and optimistic, portraying many different viewpoints on one situation. The lessons learned from this fantastic movie are truly invaluable. It is as if your own grandmother is telling you these lessons. At the end, get a box of Kleenex ready because every tear etched down from Uemura's face will prove to be unbearably moving. You see, this my the first time I remember me bawling simply because of a movie. And also notice how the film ends very happily and peacefully, comforting you and leaving your soul cleansed/stable. The soundtrack is also not something to take lightly.
If you haven't guessed, this movie gets a phenomenal 5 out of 5 points. MUST SEE.
