This is a sort review I wrote in my old blog, and yeah, I’m simply reposting it since I’m planning to delete the old one. Orginially posted on March 7, 2011.
- <3
I think I’ve documented in this blog and in here my immense love for Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood.
Just a little background: I’ve read this when I was around 14 or 15 by means of an e-book. I didn’t really understand it at first, since I was only 15 at that time, but there was something about it that just drew me back every single time. I’ve reread the story again (around last year), and I’m slowly understanding.
So basically, when I heard that it was going to be adapted into a movie, you could imagine my joy. I like to watch movies adapted so I could see if the movie can justify my imagination, if what runs in my mind while I read the book is what the book is trying to say.
I’ve been waiting for the movie’s torrent since I know the movie was released in Japan last December (and I’m pretty sure they won’t be premiering the movie here. Sucky world) so I chanced upon the torrent three days ago. Took me two whole nights waiting for it to finish downloading. So imagine my joy when it finally finished.
And on to the movie.
I enjoyed the whole aesthetics of the movie. I love that the costumes actually fit into the whole 70s era with the tucked-in fitted shirts, bell bottoms and flannel. I love the old feel of the cinematography, and you actually feel like (for most of the film) they filmed it a long time ago. However, for some parts, I think the seguing of the scenes aren’t properly edited, it gives me the feeling of ‘bitin‘ which highly annoyed me. I’ll go watch the movie again to see if the unusual cutting makes sense. Anyway, the music choices just knocked off the hypothetical socks off my feet. The instrumentals and the songs of The Doors and Can just fitted the whole mood of the story. Plus points because I love that kind of music they used. The instrumental, which they mostly played during highly dramatic scenes, particularly where Naoko is concerned, just gave me that haunting, scared feeling.
The Snow scene
In terms of the actors, I didn’t know who Kenichi Matsuyama was prior to the movie. But wow, I really do see him as Toru Watanabe. I enjoyed his performance and looking at his lips (okay you know what this means: NEW CELEB CRUSH). HAHAHA. And during the last part, where he was grieving over Naoko at some beach, he looked truly unrecognizable as how a man who grieves over the loss of a loved one looks like. Bravo to Kenichi Matsuyama.
Rinko Kikuchi, the only Japanese who was Oscar-nominated for her performance in Babel, played Naoko. Now, I didn’t initially think that she should play Naoko, because I was envisioning Naoko as someone who’s very beautiful, and has a much more younger look. But Rinko Kikuchi convinced me in her performance as Naoko. I was envisioning more of a normal-voiced Naoko, but I think the soft-spoken way she spoke worked for this. There are some angles that do not work for her, but there are some angles as well that makes me see the Naoko I had in my head. And I like her dimples. 
)
Kiko Mizuhara gave an okay performance as Midori Kobayashi, Toru’s classmate and eventually girlfriend. I read somewhere that Kiko is actually a model and this is her first acting role, and I think physically, she fits Midori, who was described as someone who had an androgynous build in the book. Kiko could’ve been more energetic, since I was thinking of Midori as someone full of life. But then, they are Japanese and we have to think of the conservative culture they must have had then. And it kind of annoyed me that Kiko smiled too much even if there is no need for it.
Reika Kirishima played Reiko Ishida, the patient in Ami Hostel who becomes Naoko’s good friend and roommate. I was thinking of Reiko as someone not sublimely pretty, but wow, this woman is super pretty. And I enjoyed her version of Norwegian Wood.
Tetsuji Tamayama played Nasagawa, Toru’s friend in the dorm. He fits the role well, and he acts like a total asshole despite his few scenes in the movie. I do wish though that there was more of him. Also Eriko Hatsune who played Hatsumi, Nasagawa’s girlfriend, also was great in her small role.
Also, the way that the cutting was done kind of leaves the audience wondering ‘what the hell was that?’ or ‘what just happened??’ or ‘HUH? WHAT?’, unless they’ve read the book and know it pretty well. So I think the segueing sucked. A scene segues to another scene without wholly explaining what just happened.
And finally, there are these scenes where Watanabe is clean shaven, and the next thing you know, he has a mustache. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!?!?!!?!?
Some of the scenes that left me awestruck were:
1. When Toru got the letter from Naoko while he was washing his clothes and he was climbing what seemed like endless flights of stairs. I loved how it was filmed, following him climbing the stairs from the perspctive overhead.
2. When Toru took Hatsumi home, aboard the taxi, there was this scene that focused on Hatsumi’s wrist and fingers and her sleeping face while Toru was narrating about what were to happen to Hatsumi four years after. I think it was a cool foreshadowing for what was to happen to Hatsumi in the future.
3. The snow scenes when Toru visited Naoko in Ami Hostel (oh BTW: they didn’t really give a name for that institution for the movie. It was the name in the book). Winter wonderland. Ohmygod they looked so ethereal (Toru and Naoko) against the white snow. Their innocent but complicated love coming out. Oh my gosh.
4. One scene where Toru’s working at the record store while Midori’s walking around the store. While the background music plays, it seemed as if Toru was in a dream state while Midori was prancing around the record store. It was as if Toru was dreaming, but in fact, it was all real.
But overall, I enjoyed the movie but I’m glad that I don’t have to pay for it. It’s a good movie by Tran Anh Hung, but I don’t think it’s a movie worth to watch in a cinema to be honest.
And now some screenshots:
Screenshots from Cunshang.net
(okay reviewing ))
