Norwegian Wood Film vs. Book

     I was pleasantly surprised by the film adaptation of Norwegian Wood. I don't think I had realized just how hard a story it is to tell, but this film navigated the elements of the story extremely well. One of my favorite aspects of the film was Kenichi Matsuyama's performance. He really humanized Watanabe in a way that the book did not necessarily prescribe, but certainly benefit from. Additionally, Kiko Mizuhara was excellent as Midori. Midori is one of my favorite Murakami characters, and Mizuhara was perfect in allowing the brightness of the character to shine.

    I only have two big complaints:

    1. Reiko and Nagasawa were both underdeveloped and unfairly portrayed as one-dimensional. Reiko's backstory is very important to her character and omitting that left her to only be a Watanabe-related plot device. On this most recent reading of the book, I found Reiko to be manipulative and a negative force in the story, and she wasn't given enough depth in the film to be properly considered. Nagasawa was also too predictable. I love how his character was such an asshole, but also funny and somewhat wise, but in the film, he seemed too cold. He had no charisma at all, and was way too far on the "asshole" side of the pendulum.

    2. The music! I love Jonny Greenwood, and his score here was excellent. No complaints with the OST, but in terms of pop music specifically mentioned in the novel, there's only Norwegian Wood. Music was not nearly as important to the movie as it was the novel, and I think that is a critical underestimation of a central theme.

    The film made me appreciate even more how important Midori is to Watanabe. The ending scene should have been impossible to translate to film, but the performances clarified it. Her character was so clearly the "living" side that Watanabe chooses, even after all his trauma and meaningless sex. I'd like to think he finally commits to her, and the film seems to agree with that reading. Sure, the film somewhat forces that interpretation onto the viewer, but I have no qualms about that. Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised, and I think the film serves as a worthy companion piece to the wonderful novel!

-John M. Spaulding