The love letter is almost a lost art. Missives by the famous dead to the objects of their affection still attract readers online, but in Japanese romantic dramas the nearest equivalent is now a text message.
This makes Yuya Ishii’s drama “One Last Love Letter” a throwback, though it’s based on a true story from the recent past. In 2000, 17-year-old Shinsuke Tomihisa died in a train derailment in Tokyo, and in 2020, his family received a letter from a woman who had had a teenage crush on him.
Scripted by Ishii, the film builds an elaborate narrative edifice on this thin premise and ties everything together with an overarching message: If it is strong enough, love can echo down the years, even to succeeding generations.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.