Review of Japanese Story (2003) by Chris B — 04 Nov 2003
Japanese story is an excellent contrast to the frenetic hype of Hollywood at the moment. It is a careful, restrained and deeply moving study of human emotion, in particular, grief. It is also a very Australian film where the landscape is a central character; indeed, the first character we see, as shown in the opening sequence where scale is cleverly difficult to discern. The scale of things is often difficult to discern in this film, as we must pause, slow down, look, listen and think; something alot of westerners don't know how to do very well anymore.
Toni Collette is superb in the lead role, and men will appreciate the gift of seeing this story through a woman's eyes and heart. The spirituality of the Australian landscape is subtly interwoven with Japanese artistry and poise in the lead male character. The story is told in 3 chapters that could be entitled, 1.Birth, 2.Rebirth and Life, and 3.Death. The shifts to each chapter involve clever shifts in tone and emotion, and we travel through key human experiences in the course of the film.
This film is a great film and is on a par with "Careful He Might Hear You", "Rabbit-Proof Fence", "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and "Gallipoli". :fresh:
This review of Japanese Story (2003) was written by Chris B on 04 Nov 2003.
Japanese Story has generally received positive reviews.
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