Review of Norwegian Wood (2010) by Camilla O — 06 Apr 2012
This adaptation of Haruki Murakamiâ(TM)s best-selling novel; a coming-of-age story from 1960â(TM)s Japan of young student Watanabe and his complex relationship to his first love Naoko has enough sensuality and sexuality but somehow I feel Murakamiâ(TM)s story has been somewhat lost in translation or adaptation if you like.
Vietnamese film director Anh Hung Tranh has made slow paced emotional social dramas before and won Oscar for it and he is suited for the job if any. The photography is certainly gorgeous; the mix of urban life in Tokyo and the timeless landscape of the hills outside Kyoto are blended well together and the young actors and actresses are making a good job of it.
Still, it didn't look and feel like a story in Murakami's spirit. Perhaps it was the music that pulled me off somehow; it seems like the movie insist on using a soundtrack for every scene whereas what makes Murakamiâ(TM)s novel one of a kind is his ability to envision what is written between the lines; the understated expression of life, love and death that is poetry in itself.
This review of Norwegian Wood (2010) was written by Camilla O on 06 Apr 2012.
Norwegian Wood has generally received positive reviews.
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