If Cats Disappeared from the World

I have no words to describe how I felt after watching this movie. It made me think a lot about life,relationships,ambitions and regrets. This movie is not meant for people looking for light entertainment.

Satoh Takeru has delivered mind blowing performance with dual role of the postman and the devil. A postman who unexpectedly comes to know that he is going to die due to a terminal illness.After losing one by one,items which he associates with important people in his life,he realizes that a death without people to mourn for,A life which leaves no memories on people and a life whose existence is erased,is of no use. Its OK to have a mixed past(good+bad) and not able to live long enough to fulfill dreams,yet life gives us something to cherish and be thankful for.

A movie full of insight.A must see.

..."If cats disappeared from the world, how would the world change? If I disappeared from the world, who on earth would mourn for me?"...

"Sekai kara neko ga kietanara" is based on a popular novel of the same name and centers around a young postman (played by Sato Takeru) who learns that he has a terminal illness and is soon going to die. Then, a devil appears and offers to extend his life on the condition that one thing the devil picks will disappear from the world in exchange for him living one day longer.

Things which seems not essential to life turn out to be more crucial than expected, as they affect the relationship he has with his ex-girlfriend, friend and family…

As the story evolves, it reminds me to think about what is actually essential to life. Existence or essence?

The story is meaningful, and Takeru is a great cast in a great film. He perfectly delivered the role with his talents. The film is also shot so beautifully that I had to add Hakodate, the filming location, to my list of must-visit cities in Japan.

When I decided to watch the movie, I was expecting a more western-like fantasy movie. I was delightfully surprised with a deep emotional movie about life and how to come to terms with what it has to offer. Besides superb outdoor takings, wonderful acting conveying controlled feelings (I truly hate kitsch emotional outbursts, so common in the Hollywood era), the movie in a very quite but powerful way delivers an important message about how to deal with one's fate. Nice music too. I give it a nine out of ten, the deduction of one star due to the predictability of the ending.

This film tells the story of  a young man who is diagnosed with brain cancer. The devil appears and tells him that he has only one more day to live, but he can extend his life by one day by making one thing disappear from the world.

"If Cats Disappeared From the World" makes people think and reflect on their lives. What if there is really only one day to live? Is one willing to trade something precious for one more day of life? The butterfly effect of the first trade has a profound effect on the character's world, and this makes am impact  on the viewers too. There comes a point when the trade is not worth it anymore, and this decision is different for everyone. This requires  a lot of thoughts and introspection, and this film triggers exactly that.

Despite the topic of the film, It doesn't come across as sombre or sad. I enjoyed  watching it.

A young man falls from his bike and at the hospital gets the news that he has only, at most, one week to live. However, when he arrives at home, he finds someone waiting for him. This someone looks exactly like him. Surprised, he strikes a conversation with this being, not knowing if it is a devil or what. The doppelganger tells him he is going to die the following day. And then offers him a bargain: the creature will give him an extra day to live in exchange for something disappearing from the world.

From here on we have our hero, played with a touch of naivety and innocence by Takeru Satoh, learning about the importance of relationships and people in life. It is not the things that may disappear, but how they help him to connect with the rest of the world. Of course, he learns a couple of things along the way.

The movie touches on what makes us human and relate to each other. It has its heart in the right place, and reminds the viewer that we are not alive just because we eat and sleep. However, on the down side, it gets cheesier and cheesier and a little bit of a tearjerker along the way, stretching the story a little bit thin.

If you like your movies with a side dish of tissues, you will love "If Cats Disappeared from the World".