Sydney Film Festival - Film Review - Norwegian Wood

Rinko Kikuchi and Kenichi Matsuyama in Norwegian Wood

Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung presents a visually impacting adaptation of Haruki Murakami's lyrical bestselling and often quite depressing novel. The story is set in the late-60s when Tokyo universities were rife with political unrest and Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama) is the central character as a student whose deepening relationship with the emotionally fragile and increasing mentally unstable Naoko (Rinko Kikuchi of Babel fame) strenuously tests his character and commitment. Naoko is haunted by the spectre of a past suicide and her emotional and then geographical withdrawal brings a sadness and melancholy to the film. Contrasting her existence in a mountain mental health retreat with the expanding world of college life, Watanabe's loyalty and own isolation is further tested by his womanising friend and dilettante Nagasawa (Tetsuji Tamayama) and the enchanting and strikingly independent Midori (Kiko Mizuhara). The multiple themes of awakening, loss and melancholy permeat throughout the film and the darkness of suicide is never far from the consciousness. The Beatles song from which the film derives its name is perfectly strengthened by an evocative score from Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead which matched with the careful imagery of rich cinematography conveys the emotional levels of the scenes.