Review of Norwegian Wood (2010) by Terence T — 23 Apr 2011

Norwegian Wood is a beautifully shot adaptation that captures the era and melancholy of Murakami's most famous novel perfectly. It is no doubt impenetrable to those unfamiliar with his work, and the melodic pace may further alienate some. However there is great power in the care taken to capture the feelings of love and loss in this heart felt film. One can see Watanabe balance a myriad of complex emotions as he matures.

The pace of the film at the start is extremely fast, with many plot points covered so quickly. This helped keep Kizuki as a faded memory, and his motivation a needed mystery.

The score is powerful, at times emotionally crippling, and Jonny Greenwood adds his skills to this realm. As the seasons change from the flourishing meadows to the cold and wintery mountains, so does the score.

The small touches were also very neat. The riots are hidden in the background but Wantanabe's disassociation with this is obvious. Nagasawa is as close as this film gets to a villain and is delivered in a memorable way. He does seem to be an incarnation of Noboru Wataya.

Of the minor quibbles, the initial sequence is missing which added an extra level of nostalgia to the novel. Reiko is also somewhat underwritten leaving her final scene feel a little flat and pointless. The confusion at the heart of Watanabe is also a little hard to display as he is split between feelings for Naoto and Midori.

It is intriguing to ponder what the concept of a remake would entail. Is it even possible? With an attitude of explaining all that is minutia, it would not quite ring true.