Saturday, July 31, 2010

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac - books on film



Yuya Tegoshis is the new "Will" in Gabrielle Zevin's  Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac. She wrote the book for her wonderful story about Will and Naomi. Except in this Japanese/American movie, it was best to preserve a Japanese feel to Will's character so he was renamed Mirai Hasegawa.

It's a sensitive story about human identity. Zevin gives us high-school junior Naomi who conks her head. Unfortunately, she can't remember anything that happened since sixth grade. Naturally, she is mystified and startled by evidence of her present life, from the birth-control pills in her bedside table to her parents' big split. Eventually, the memories return, leaving Naomi questioning the basis of a new, intense romance, and wondering which of her two lives, present or former, represents her most authentic self. The question remains - If the past were a blank slate, what would you become? Does the search for one's truest identity necessarily mean rejecting all that has gone before? Of course, her new memories are with Will aka Mirai.

Many a reader have fallen in love with Zevin's characters from this book.

Zevin wrote the screenplay.

The movie also has Emma Roberts in the movie too. But she is not Naomi. Emma Roberts is Alice in the movie. Naomi is played by Maki Horikita. This movie is being released in Japan first, but will later be dubbed in English and released in a America.


Hopefully, this movie will get the recognition it deserves. Its one to look for. An amazing book now on film. Hopefully soon in the states, too.

8 comments:

  1. It looks like such a wonderful movie.

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  2. My question is, why would Emma Roberts be in it? lol but yes seems very interesting. Can't wait for the English version

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  3. Oh yes, I quite like this book! I read it a few months ago but had no idea it was going to be a movie! That should be interesting.

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