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The Pillow Book
The Pillow Book
7.4
/10
1,615 Ratings

THE PILLOW BOOK

Directed by Peter Greenaway
United Kingdom, Netherlands, 1996
Drama, Romance, LGBTQ+, Avant-Garde

Synopsis

As a child in Kyoto in the 1970s, Nagiko’s calligrapher father used her body to write a birthday message in paint. Now grown up and living in Hong Kong, she seeks a lover who will use her body as a blank canvas. English translator Jerome reverses roles and becomes the subject of her penmanship.

Synopsis

As a child in Kyoto in the 1970s, Nagiko’s calligrapher father used her body to write a birthday message in paint. Now grown up and living in Hong Kong, she seeks a lover who will use her body as a blank canvas. English translator Jerome reverses roles and becomes the subject of her penmanship.

Our take

Adorning the screen with words as well as images, Peter Greenaway expands our conception of narrative cinema in this mysterious tale—one of his most sensual films. Gossamer textures evocative of paper and skin layer across this sexy study of artistic expression, starring a young Ewan McGregor!