The Elephant Vanishes and other short stories is the only book I've read from Murakami. Well, I'm 1/4 way through Dance, Dance, Dance when I had to pack it away and move. Elephant had some interesting short stories, one in particular loops back in itself in kind of a hallucination affect if I remember it correctly.
This is different. Supposedly the 1st novel, and that's why the director choose it too. It is about firsts - first love, first friendship, and first lost. Mainly a growing up story - by encountering the most tragic of tragedies - death of a close friend or relative. In which the protagonist finds true love - in a way, and distinguish the physical from the emotional - as a confused, naive yet solid young man with a sense of responsibility and ideals. Where that came from I can't tell. He is not perfect, and he knows he is not - but there are times the physical overcomes the emotional. And there are time the emotional overcomes the physical.
The women does most of the talking, and he tries to related. There are many extreme close-ups showing the tiny reactions. One of the best scene is from a 2ndary actress - the girl friend of a playboy that the main character Watanabe knows. She goes through a breathtaking range of emotions in one sitting.
And the dialogue passages are direct - not sure how many ppl actually talk this way. And for that matters in Japanese films. But I remember as such too in some of the Elephant short stories. Very frank - like between real friends.
The film is beautifully shot. And emotions are clear. It deals with depressing subjects but somehow it outshines it - just barely. Because we have to as it explains. And maybe that's all it needed.
This is different. Supposedly the 1st novel, and that's why the director choose it too. It is about firsts - first love, first friendship, and first lost. Mainly a growing up story - by encountering the most tragic of tragedies - death of a close friend or relative. In which the protagonist finds true love - in a way, and distinguish the physical from the emotional - as a confused, naive yet solid young man with a sense of responsibility and ideals. Where that came from I can't tell. He is not perfect, and he knows he is not - but there are times the physical overcomes the emotional. And there are time the emotional overcomes the physical.
The women does most of the talking, and he tries to related. There are many extreme close-ups showing the tiny reactions. One of the best scene is from a 2ndary actress - the girl friend of a playboy that the main character Watanabe knows. She goes through a breathtaking range of emotions in one sitting.
And the dialogue passages are direct - not sure how many ppl actually talk this way. And for that matters in Japanese films. But I remember as such too in some of the Elephant short stories. Very frank - like between real friends.
The film is beautifully shot. And emotions are clear. It deals with depressing subjects but somehow it outshines it - just barely. Because we have to as it explains. And maybe that's all it needed.