More of a visual companion to the novel than a stand alone film, it's still a very interesting piece which will hopefully inspire more adaptations of Murakami's works. With its absence throughout the majority of the film, the fairly blunt dialogue and explorations of sexuality can seem in your face. The film's biggest drawback is the sporadic use of voiceover, which can only hint at the involving narrative it is taken from.

Matsuyama and Kikuchi are a gorgeous couple both in terms of their looks, and the passion they clearly hold for each other. It is a story of change, loss, and moving on, with a sense of emptiness that is very haunting in the most meditative kind of way. At times it has a strong story going on, but then becomes more of a visual feast, before jumping long distances of time while trying to maintain the chemistry between characters.

This isn't the most approachable film in the world. So seeing it as a film I can perfectly understand the film's mixed reviews. Norwegian Wood is the Murakami book that I think shouldn't be used as an introduction to his worlk. Sadly, this movie is simply too long for such an intimate story, especially with its many digressions that help to slow the pace to a crawl in places.Ī lovely adaptation of Murakami's astonishing novel. Just as Toru uses books to keep the chaos of the outside world at bay, others use recent trauma to keep emotions at bay. On the other hand, the characters talk a great game when it comes to sex but are less able when it comes down to doing the deed or falling in love for that matter. On the one hand, 'Norwegian Wood' could be considered a thoughtful meditation on young people's first encounter with death, finding out the hard way that there is no way to compete with the dead. After Kikuchi's suicide, Toru migrates to the side of Nagasawa(Tetsuji Tamayama), a ladies' man, in search of more knowledge about the opposite sex. With Kizuki and Naoko(Rinko Kikuchi) being well-nigh inseparable, Toru does not mind playing third wheel to them. In 'Norwegian Wood,' Toru(Ken'ichi Matsuyama) is best friends with Kizuki(Kengo Kora). Norwegian Wood provides useful advice on the rustic hows and whys of taking care of your heating needs, but it’s also a thoughtful attempt to understand man’s age-old predilection for stacking wood and passion for open fires.

Norwegian wood book