Norwegian Wood (2010)
(Noruwei no mori)
Country: JAP
Technical: col/2.35:1 133m
Director: Tràn Anh Hùng
Cast: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi, Kiko Mizuhara
Synopsis:
Against the backdrop of 1960s student protests, the life of a young man is marked by two loves: one that is so strong it cannot survive existence, the other which imposes itself unabashed and demands to live.
Review:
Anh Hung predictably films Murakami's epochal novel in a succession of slowly panned tableaux emphasising the beauty (and implacability) of nature. Appropriate enough for a narrative which charts the confrontation between the twin human needs for authenticity and consummation in relationships. Watanabe's love for Naoko is no less intense for his being second best after his friend's suicide; and his sense of responsibility towards her deepens the bond of fidelity, just as it prevents him from moving ahead with his life. The period setting seems largely redundant in this production, although the young performers effectively convey a brave new boldness in sexual relationships that came with the Sixties.
(Noruwei no mori)
Country: JAP
Technical: col/2.35:1 133m
Director: Tràn Anh Hùng
Cast: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi, Kiko Mizuhara
Synopsis:
Against the backdrop of 1960s student protests, the life of a young man is marked by two loves: one that is so strong it cannot survive existence, the other which imposes itself unabashed and demands to live.
Review:
Anh Hung predictably films Murakami's epochal novel in a succession of slowly panned tableaux emphasising the beauty (and implacability) of nature. Appropriate enough for a narrative which charts the confrontation between the twin human needs for authenticity and consummation in relationships. Watanabe's love for Naoko is no less intense for his being second best after his friend's suicide; and his sense of responsibility towards her deepens the bond of fidelity, just as it prevents him from moving ahead with his life. The period setting seems largely redundant in this production, although the young performers effectively convey a brave new boldness in sexual relationships that came with the Sixties.
(Noruwei no mori)
Country: JAP
Technical: col/2.35:1 133m
Director: Tràn Anh Hùng
Cast: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi, Kiko Mizuhara
Synopsis:
Against the backdrop of 1960s student protests, the life of a young man is marked by two loves: one that is so strong it cannot survive existence, the other which imposes itself unabashed and demands to live.
Review:
Anh Hung predictably films Murakami's epochal novel in a succession of slowly panned tableaux emphasising the beauty (and implacability) of nature. Appropriate enough for a narrative which charts the confrontation between the twin human needs for authenticity and consummation in relationships. Watanabe's love for Naoko is no less intense for his being second best after his friend's suicide; and his sense of responsibility towards her deepens the bond of fidelity, just as it prevents him from moving ahead with his life. The period setting seems largely redundant in this production, although the young performers effectively convey a brave new boldness in sexual relationships that came with the Sixties.