I was pretty disappointed in the film adaptation of Norwegian Wood. The plot was almost too similar to that of Murakami’s, the majority of the dialogue and voiceover being pulled directly from the text; in some of his other work’s film adaptations like Burning or Drive My Car, there was much more divergence from the written work, and the respective narratives seemed to transform into something different and/or new. I will say that the ambience of Norwegian Wood’s film adaptation was well executed. Like Hallie mentioned in her post, it was extremely sad, disjointed, and raw. The scenes of Naoko breaking down or Toru grieving Naoko were especially powerful and sometimes difficult to watch. Naoko’s character in the film also did a good job of exemplifying her quietness and internalized struggle. In the book, I always felt more dominated and swayed by Toru’s feelings, but the film allowed a more neutral perspective into their dynamic and respective dispositions. I wish the film had explored some of the other narratives present in the book, like Midori’s father and Toru or Reiko’s backstory, as I feel it gave Midori and Reiko’s characters much more dimension. Midori, in particular, I don’t think was accurately portrayed and felt too reserved and powerless in comparison to the novel.
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