The song "Gondola no Uta," sung by the protagonist Watanabe, sounds like a passage out of the book of Ecclesiastes and may be translated as follows:

Life is brief.
Fall in love, maidens,
before the crimson bloom
fades from your lips,
before the tides of passion
cool within you...
For there are those of you
who will know no tomorrow.

Life is brief.
Fall in love, maidens,
before his hands
take up his boat,
before the flush of his cheeks fades...
For there are those of you
who will never return here.

Life is brief.
Fall in love, maidens,
before the boat drifts away
on the waves,
before the hand resting on your shoulder
becomes frail...
For there are those who will never
be seen here again.

Life is brief.
Fall in love, maidens,
before your raven tresses
begin to fade,
before the flame in your hearts
flickers and dies...
For today, once passed,
is never to come again. ( )

A man wants to learn to live when he finds out he’s dying.

Well made and depressing. It's a cliche, but every cliche needs at least one great movie for the others to copy.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: A
Dialog: C
Pacing: D
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: C
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: C plus

GPA: 2.7/4 ( )