| NZFF 2011: 'NORWEGIAN WOOD' - Tran Anh Hung |
| Written by COUP DE MAIN |
| Monday, 27 June 2011 21:21 |
 'NORWEGIAN WOOD' 'Noruwei no mori' l 2010 l 133 mins DIRECTOR: Tran Anh Hung. CAST: Matsuyama Kenichi (Watanabe), Kikuchi Rinko (Naoko), Mizuhara Kiko (Midori), Kirishima Reika (Reiko Ishida), Kora Kengo (Kizuki), Hatsune Eriko (Hatsumi), Tamayama Tetsuji (Nagasawa). In Japanese with English subtitles. "This bold adaptation of Murakami Haruki’s popular novel of tortured first loves moves uncannily between elegant pictorial objectivity and rhapsodic passages that engulf us in romantic anguish. In the late 60s (most strongly evoked by the sharp fashion sense of the leads)Tokyouniversities are rife with political unrest, but Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama) is consumed by inner turmoil. He is falling in love with the fragile, painfully inhibited Naoko (Rinko Kikuchi) and becoming increasingly fixated on her devotion to honouring a dead boy they both loved. The morbid power of their bond is tested by his much worldlier roommate Nagasawa and the mocking flirtation of the uninhibited Midori, who clearly fancies him but won’t play second fiddle to a ghost. ‘As a maker of exquisite images, and as a poet of melancholy, Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung (The Scent of Green Papaya), is almost freakishly gifted,’ says critic Shane Danielsen, and the proof is everywhere in this film. Ravishing landscapes provide visceral expression of young hearts thrilled by the pure grandeur of emotional devastation. Cinematographer Mark Lee Ping Bin (In the Mood for Love) and Radiohead composer Jonny Greenwood contribute crucially to Tran’s disconcerting eroticism of sorrow. Surrender to its impact while you have the chance on the giant Civic screen. — BG" Watch the trailer for 'Norwegian Wood' below...   The 2011 NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL runs from July 14th to July 31st in AUCKLAND, July 29th to August 14th in WELLINGTON, August 4th to August 21st in DUNEDIN, August 11th to August 28th in CHRISTCHURCH, August 18th to September 4th in PALMERSTON NORTH, August 25th to September 11th in HAMILTON, September 1st to September 18th in NELSON, September 8th to September 24th in TAURANGA, September 15th to September 28th in NEW PLYMOUTH, September 21st to October 9th in HAWKE'S BAY, October 13th to October 19th in GREYMOUTH, October 27th to November 9th in MASTERTON, November 3rd to November 16th in GISBORNE, and from November 10th to November 20th in KERIKERI. Click HERE for the official NZ Film Festival website and to sign up for their mailing list. |
