Norwegian Wood is hauntingly poignant. What saves it from being a completely depressing film are the beautiful actors. The love triangle between Rinko Kikuchi (award winner for Babel) who plays Naoko, Ken’ichi Matsuyama as Toru Watanabe, and Kiko Mizuhara’s film debut as Midori is complicated to say the least.
The film is set in Tokyo in 1967 amidst the contrast of rioting students, and students involved in recreational activities dressed in pristine creaseless white shirts, possibly depicting innocence and purity. This image is quickly shattered by the unexplained suicide of young Kizuki, Naoko’s soul mate since they were three years old.
Visually, the film appears dreamlike as if the lens is masked with a filter with some scenes more blurred than others. The nature scenes, however, appear clear and precise, such as the water droplets on a leaf. The story revolves around the seasons beginning with the spring rains and progressing through to the bitter end of winter, and returning back to spring and new beginnings.
I felt that the character’s emotions were always at a level of depression or sadness so that when tragedy struck it was difficult for the viewer’s emotions to climax and feel the anguish of the character because the viewer is strung along on this depressive ride without relief for so long that any feelings of sympathy for the characters are simply burnt out. It also makes the outcome predictable defusing any surprise or shock that may have occurred had the characters experienced a change in level of emotion.
Toru’s character lacks strength and vitality making him appear whimpy and submissive. He trails behind Naoko like an obedient puppy as she marches forcefully ahead of him in a bizarre ritual that appears as non verbal ranting. Midori holds the same power over him as she tells him what she expects a man to do to prove his love for her, basically saying that a man needs to be at her beck and call. Toru seems to be at everyone’s beck and call as he succumbs to his roommate, Nagasawa’s suggestion to find girls to sleep with during their drunken weekends. He sleeps with Naoko when she asks him to on her 20th birthday and he sleeps with Naoko’s minder, Reiko, when Reiko tells him, ‘It has to be done.’ This is after he tells Midori that he considers himself an honest man and that he loves Naoko but will commit to Midori once he frees himself from his responsibility. The web of lies continues as he tells Naoko, when she questions him about whether he is seeing someone else in Tokyo, that he isn’t.
Norwegian Wood apparently is the polite term for ‘cheap wood’ which may explain the disposability of morals. It also ties in with the Beatles song whose lyrics tie in with the girl using the boy and explains why Naoko breaks down crying when the song is sung by her minder, Reiko. I don’t know if I can agree to Norwegian Wood being a love story because there seems to be confusion of what love is by all the characters. Toru seems convinced that he deeply loves Naoko even though deep down he wonders whether she is just using him to try to figure out her sexual frustrations and dismiss the guilt she seems to feel over the suicide of her first love Kizuki. Did he commit suicide because of the sexual frustrations he experienced with Naoko? Viewers are left wondering.
The story seems more about lust than love. It could have been cut by at least 45 minutes as the emotional drain was becoming unbearable. Because the film is an adaptation of a book based on the emotional journeys of three young inexperienced people, it would be impossible for the film to fully explain the feelings of these characters. Midori did not appear the confident girl, she simply was not mourning a devastating loss. She was every bit as vulnerable, insecure and broken as a teenager transitioning into her twenties.
As far as performances, Rinko Kikuchi far outweighed newcomer Kiko Mizuhara in her debut role as Midori. It was obvious that Kiko was chosen for her looks as her performance was bland and unconvincing. She is without a doubt irresistibly cute but lacks the acting skills to pull off the complex performance required for this story. Ken’ichi Matsuyama did little to impress. His final emotional breakdown seemed forced and drawn out and didn’t quite evoke the desired result that could have won the audience over. His passive nature made him quite the bore well depicted at the beginning of the film when he took to reading books to deal with his grief.
There is no doubt that director, Tran Anh Hung created some beautiful moments in the film. The task of recreating what appears to be a very complex story is a credit to him. The Beatle’s song, Norwegian Wood is the glue that holds the film together and about the only thing that sticks to your mind long after you’ve left the cinema.
Jacq’s rating: 2.5 out of 5
Director: Tran Anh Hung
Producer: Chihiro Kameyama
Screenplay: Tran Anh Hung, based on the novel by Haruki Murakami
Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Ken’ichi Matsuyama, Kiko Mizuhara
Duration: 133 mins
Genre: Drama/Romance
Classification: MA
Language: Japanese
Country: Japan
