Norwegian Wood (R) 7.5

Norwegian Wood (2010) ノルウェイの森 Noruwei no mori: Toru recalls his life in the 1960s, when his friend Kizuki killed himself and he grew close to Naoko, Kizuki's girlfriend, and another woman, the outgoing, lively Midori. (6.4)

Director: Tran Anh Hung
Writers: Haruki Murakami (novel), Tran Anh Hung
Stars: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi and Kiko Mizuhara
Language: Japanese (w/ English subtitles)

(I didn't know until after the movie that the Beatles song Norwegian Wood was about an unnamed affair Lennon was having at the time.) This story is about the lives of 19-20 year-olders in the late 60s in a university setting in Tokyo. The movie sets and costumes are very true to the era and done nicely to reflect the mood and the settings. The story also reflects the sexual attitude of the era (I think). The side stories add towards the audience's understanding of Toru's mindset. The cinematography, the colors, the locations, etc are brilliant. That aspect actually drives quite a lot of the movie as the story becomes a bit slow at times. This is a story with many heartbreaks, not just that of the main trio. Death and suicide are not glossed over and their consequences are quite vividly portrayed. This movie takes you on an emotional roller coaster. (And, I'm glad I didn't go through this turnstile when I was that age.) Spoiler alert: as it is, the story has an open ending, but I would have ended the movie after the sequences of grief stricken Toru in isolation. My Rating: 7.5