Review of The Pillow Book (1995) by Ws W — 29 Nov 2010

I saw this movie a while back when I was probably too young to appreciate it, but I recently rewatched it and, man, it blew me away. The official summary on Flixter describes The Pillow Book thusly: "Peter Greenaway directed this elliptical and visually intricate tale of the far side of erotic and intellectual attraction". I couldn't summarize it better than that. The Pillow Book is a movie like no other, in terms of cinematography and plot. Let me elaborate a bit:

The cinematography is unique in that it plays with image throughout the film. The biggest difference between this film and pretty much any other film you will ever see is that about 75% of the time, there is an image inset within the larger frame of the movie. So, for example, when the two main characters make love, there are images of erotic Japanese woodcuts inset at the bottom of the frame. Or when the main character, Nagiko, reads the "pillow book" (basically a diary) of a 10th century lady-in-waiting that her mother gives her as a present, there is a frame within the frame illustrating the events that Nagiko is reading about. Hard to describe here...you really have to see it. Greenaway, who is a real maverick when it comes to visuals, somehow manages to pull this, and other visual tricks, off without the movie becoming irritating or tedious.

The plot is unique in that it revolves around a woman with a calligraphy fetish. Nagiko's father paints birthday greetings on her face and back every year starting when she is very young. Naturally (or, perhaps, "Freud-ally") when she comes of age, Nagiko begins to search for a lover who will paint calligraphy on her. And not just any calligraphy, but beautiful calligraphy. It's not just the sensation of the brush on her skin, but the beauty and meaning of the characters themselves.

Nagiko meets up with Jermone (Ewan McGregor, in his "naked in every movie" phase), a translator whose calligraphy sucks, but who offers his body to Nagiko for her to write on. She decides to use his body to write 13 books and send him to a publisher who blackmailed her father long ago. The point is to somehow get revenge on the dastardly publisher, and I never really followed this plot point. Along the way, Nagiko betrays Jerome and the consequences are dire.

So basically, The Pillow Book is bizarre, erotic, and very unique. It's the kind of movie elevates art and style above entertainment and plot. It's not for everyone. If you're a movie buff (or an Ewan McGregor in the buff buff), check it out and see what you think.