My husband and I were looking through Netflix one night when we happened upon the movie Hachi starring Richard Gere and Joan Allen. My husband knew the original story of Hachi because it happened in Japan. I didn’t know it, but we were looking for something light, so we decided to watch it.
The movie we saw just uses the original Japanese story as a springboard. The movie focuses around an American family. The father, Parker Wilson, finds a puppy at the train station when he comes home. He can’t find the owner or any one to take the dog, so he brings it home, even though his wife will disapprove.
Eventually, Parker wins his wife over and gets to keep the dog. Parker and Hachi are devoted to one another. Every morning, Hachi walks Parker to the train station, and every night, he runs to the train station to wait for Parker’s return. Parker, in turn, spoils Hachi, even going so far as to try to give him a massage.
The duo happily spend a few years together before tragedy strikes and Parker has a massive heart attack and dies. Surprisingly, this happens fairly early in the film. The rest of the story is about Hachi making a life without his beloved master.
Let me tell you, this film made me a sobbing mess. For a few days afterward I couldn’t think of this movie without tearing up. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve lost so many loved ones and I know the ache that comes from wanting them back, even for just one day, or if it was sadness for Hachi. Even my husband, who I’ve seen cry less than 5 times in the 14 years we’ve been together, shed a few tears.
I’d like to show this movie to Bookworm, but I think I’ll wait a few years. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, but if you watch it, make sure to have a box of tissues handy.
I give this film 4.5 out of 5 stars on the Mom’s Plans’ scale.
Yeah, I watched this movie sometime ago. It is definitely a tear-jerker. Good movie.