Usual man's-best-friend story, spiced with an intriguing yet inspiring detail, shall leave you a bit sad, inevitably pensive, but ultimately delighted. However, for those who can do without it, and keep alive their interest even in a simple story, who won't shy away from emotional involvement (as if this can be controlled), they shall easily find themselves consumed by its mere beauty and warmth.
Of course, this might not attract everybody, providing that majority of movie audience today is highly dependent on fast paced, action packed scenes, getting thrills from 3D CG stylized ambiance and suspense, high volume amplitudes and aggressive, often rude highlights of any other nature. Even past the dramatic highpoint, when common acts of affection and loyalty evolve towards such an unheard-of faithfulness and ultimate devotion, pace of the storytelling does not change, relying primarily on fine details and emotional build-up. In retelling the story of common bonding between the dog and its owner, so usual that it comes so natural, film is moving at slow pace, following events of an ordinary life, though not without occasional comedic and dramatic overtones. After seeing this movie, and some additional research on the web, all pieces have fallen into place. In time an occasion came up to meet a friend in Shibuya city, contemporary center of Tokyo's youth culture (shopping, fashion, nightlife.), and that's how I've learned about the popular local meeting point for all Tokyoites, the Hachikō Akita dog statue just outside of Shibuya Train Station, but the real story behind it has been still eluding me ever since. Before my last year's visit to Tokyo I've been unaware of the true-life story this movie is based upon. NatGeo), however without a narrator so common in documentaries, and including well-known actors (Richard Gere, Sarah Roemer and Joan Allen), making it more suitable for theatrical distribution. The cast includes Anton Glanzelius, Melinda Kinnaman, and Tomas von. Knowing the real-life story behind it, Hachiko: A Dog's Story (2009) has been made in a sort of staged documentary style, similar to the kind of movies often seen on documentary channels (e.g. It tells the coming-of-age story of Ingemar, a young boy sent to live with relatives.
The story is told in flashbacks as class assignment 'my hero' by Michael's teen son Robbie, who also gets an Akita puppy. Hachi refuses to accept this, being moved to Michael's home as Cate moves out, waiting for a master who can never come home again, by now collectively adopted by sympathizing town-folk. Hachi makes a habit of waiting for his equally doting master at the station every evening, but after a cardiac crisis, Parker dies. Parker's Japanese college friend Ken inspires naming the pup Hachi(ko), and is pleasantly surprised when Parker successfully tackles the challenge to get it to fetch, which Akitas don't usually do. His bossy, jealous wife Cate initially makes Parker swear it won't stay, but by the time its' clear nobody will claim him and an adoption candidate is found, she agrees to keep the dog, who won over their daughter Andy and her fiance Michael at first sight. Hachi is however loyal and playful and extremely clever, which of course if the point of the film.It’s not all fluffy though as the film has some seriously sad parts but all contained within the family-friendly ‘U’ rating.The film does what it says on the tin, innocuous and innocent.If you don’t love animals, like me you may find it a little too twee but actually the movie has some quite powerful moments.Commuting by train, music professor Parker Wilson finds an Akita puppy, whose cage broke unnoticed during shipping, leaving his destination unknown, and since the station can't care for it and the dog catcher warns even such cute ones may not be adopted in the two weeks allowed, he kindly takes it home. He’s apparently a royal oriental dog and so doesn’t fetch or play ball. Surely a light-hearted tale about a man and his dog will be inoffensive.What a peculiar reason for a film.Yes it is a simple film about a man finds stray dog, owner nowhere to be found, eventually owner persuades perfect wife and perfect daughter to keep the dog in their perfect home.The both go out to do perfect jobs, musician composer and something else artistic (seemingly part time, who commutes by train and still gets home before 5pm?) whilst their daughter dates the perfect potential son-in-law.All the while they are growing fond of this little dog that came into their lives although the dog – not so perfect. I had not heard of this Richard Gere film, no trailer, poster, interview or any publicity came past my eyes but its movie day and there’s nothing else on.