Norwegian Wood Film Review

 As I watched Norwegian Wood, I was impressed by the way the director had carefully translated the melancholic and nostalgic atmosphere of the novel onto the screen. I thought most of the characters were brought to life well, with the exception of Reiko, and particularly enjoyed the performance of Kiko Mizuhara as Midori. The suicides in the movie also felt more graphic and impactful since instead of a second-hand account about them we saw it for ourselves. In particular, Kizuki’s death was only briefly described in the novel despite having a significant impact on the characters. In the movie, I liked that they focused more on it since it was very traumatizing for Toru and Naoko and influenced their behavior throughout the story. As observers, we also had to contend with this heavy imagery. Although we only see Naoko’s dangling feet, it also heightened my reaction compared to in the novel. 

I  liked being able to hear the song Norwegian Wood as I witnessed the characters interacting on screen, and felt that perceiving the music in a similar context that the characters did enhanced my experience and corresponding emotions. At the same time, they could have incorporated this aspect even more since it had great potential and was only executed for one song. Even with Norwegian Wood it was more limited, since they could have started the movie with the flashback scene on the plane, when Toru hears it again and it prompts a rush of memories. 

I also enjoyed the verbatim quotes at first, but looking at it again I think they could have included more to make it feel less disjointed, since we aren’t seeing the inner thoughts of the characters as much. As mentioned earlier, I also didn’t like the portrayal of Reiko in the movie. To begin, I feel that in the movie her character had become much more polished and demure, an elegant woman. Meanwhile in the book, it was highlighted that she had a warm, wrinkled face and carefree energy. She was also a very flat character in the movie, as we didn’t go into her backstory at all and she remained a mystery. In the ending, it also felt that she was unnaturally forcing Watanabe to have sex with her, rather than a consensual agreement produced as a way for both of them to process the death of Naoko. 

Overall, I would recommend this movie, but I also wouldn't uphold it as the best possible interpretation that they could have made. However, within its constraints, it succeeded at conveying the essence of the novel in an impactful way.

Alessandra Leone