Norwegian Wood

Adapting Haruki Murakami’s breakthrough novel with the romantic melancholy of the Beatles song that gave it its name, Norwegian Wood is a passionate story of nostalgia, loss and awakening sexuality.

Childhood friends Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama) and Naoko (Rinko Kikuchi) are reunited in Tokyo in 1969 when they find themselves enrolled at the same college. Their friendship is rekindled, but they are both haunted by a shared tragedy that they would prefer remain shrouded in distant memory. As their affections for each other begin to grow, so too does the spectre of the past. The more their love blossoms, the more the shared history that unites them threatens to tear them apart. Meanwhile, Tokyo is awash with the spirit of political protest. Watanabe is both intrigued by the changing social mores and a bit skeptical. Following the lead of bon vivant Nagasawa (Tetsuji Tamayama), he is lured into a new world of sexual freedom. Taken on a seductive journey through after-hours Tokyo – replete with sex, debauchery and rock and roll – Watanabe meets the beguiling Midori (Kiko Mizuhara), an outspoken and mysterious young woman. Captivated by all she represents, Watanabe’s growing interest in Midori begins to threaten his future with Naoko, forcing him to choose between his passion and his principles.

Letting his camera linger on the uncertainties of subtext and innuendo, Tran distills the idiosyncrasies of different personalities and the intimacies that can flourish between two people. As the two lovers caught up in the intoxicating richness of the era, Matsuyama and Kikuchi deliver arresting performances, striking exactly the right chord between vulnerability and conviction and creating characters that are flawed, stubborn, guileless and, ultimately, powerful. A bittersweet tale full of beauty and pathos, Norwegian Wood illuminates the uncertain passage from innocence to maturity. –TIFF