Noruwei no Mori (2010)
Genre: Drama / Romance
Duration: 133 minuten / 145 minuten (director's cut)
Alternative titles: Norwegian Wood / ノルウェイの森
Country:
Japan
Directed by: Tran Anh Hung
Stars: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi and Kiko Mizuhara
IMDb score:
6,3 (12.959)
Releasedate: 11 December 2010
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Noruwei no Mori plot
Toru Watanabe is a student in 1960s Japan. When his best friend Kizuki commits suicide, Watanabe also has doubts about his own life. Especially when he falls in love with Naoko, Kizuki's girlfriend, who also cannot cope with her grief over Kizuki's death.
Actors and actresses
Toru Watanabe
Naoko
Midori
Reiko Ishida
Hatsumi
Nagasawa
Storm Trooper
Kizuki
Midori's Father
Professor
Reviews & comments
Film Pegasus (moderator films)
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- 31191 messages
- 5473 votes
I had no idea what this movie would bring. Of course I know the song by The Beatles, but otherwise it was mainly based on the reviews here. And I was curious about the result. For me already 1 familiar face in the cast: Rinko Kikuchi who was already very convincing as a deaf girl in the film Babel. Also the presence of Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead) who previously made the soundtrack for There will be blood and also in 2010 for We need to talk about Kevin.
The film seemed to be very long at first. Slow pace and a duration of over 2 hours seemed to be a long sit. But it just strengthens the characters and thus takes the time to set down the processing process of a deceased loved one. Watanabe goes through a period of wrestling between the past and the future. The past with a deceased boyfriend and a girlfriend for whom he feels responsible. And a future with growing up and a new start in which the past is given a place.
Very nice film that starts off a bit slow and at times comes across as heavy. But still interesting nonetheless. Beautiful soundtrack, strong acting and moving until the end.
Translated from Dutch · View original
DVD-T
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- 15565 messages
- 3129 votes
wow!!
What a wonderful piece of cinema. Great directed by Tran Anh Hung. It's one of those films that you have to let sink in for a while. Also difficult to immediately set up another film after this one because of the impact this film makes.
An untypical Japanese film. And therein lies the great strength of this project. A completely different take on a typical Japanese story. Wonderful cinematography by Lee Ping Bin. Stunning images are fired at us. Images that say so much more than words. The film has Oscar-worthy performances. The actors know how to carry you away completely for more than two hours through all the emotions they go through. Very well done. Story is very nicely designed. Don't know the book, so can't compare. But as a film it certainly succeeded in conveying the right elements of this story. Greenwood's music makes it complete. Beautiful and very ominous.
I didn't expect it but Noruwei no Mori completely blew me away. A nice example of real "Movie magic"
Translated from Dutch · View original
mjk87 (moderator films)
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- 14602 messages
- 4554 votes
setback. I thought the book was fantastic at times. Not only was it a love story, but also a glimpse into student life in Tokyo in the 1960s and the story of a man who looks back on that time with some nostalgia. That's where the title comes from, when hearing Norwegian Wood he always has to think back to that time. But that whole dimension is negated in this linear film. And that is especially unfortunate, because the richness of that book does not come to the fore. However, that could easily have been put on film, so the question is mainly why it was not chosen.
Now it wouldn't matter if that part that one chooses (the love relationship) is very strong, but it isn't always. It was sometimes a very dull whole. In addition, the director always seemed to stretch the wrong things. What needed some context or elaboration remained superficial, which could last very briefly, but and lasted. Now I must also say that large parts that I found less interesting in the book often come to the fore in the film. Only you had the rest there, you miss that now. And it was precisely this context of place and time that made that central relationship much stronger. Besides that, it's all so half-baked that it would have been better not to do it. Watanabe's roommate comes and goes every now and then, but that's about it. In fact, they might as well have moved the film to the present.
Anyway, the first hour certainly entertains the film and it all looks beautiful. There are also some nice visual finds in it. Just that shot through those slats (?) that reflect. The film also has some beautiful moments. Just that extremely sneak suicide in the car is actually very strong as a scene. The beautifully restrained acting is also very nice, although there is little chemistry between Kikuchi and Matsuyama. 2.5*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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