WOW!!!! It took me a week to get around to watching this movie, and then it was out of obligation not to waste my rental fee. Initially, I was going to give it 5 minutes and then turn it off if it hadn't grabbed me by then. Well, I kept adding another 5 minutes and soon I was immersed in the geography of both Australia and the souls of the two main characters. In some ways, this is a minimalist film. Little dialogue, lots of meaningful glances(and I'm not being sarcastic there), and situational detail that other films would've cut off with quick cuts or fade outs. Some scenes would've been maddeningly drawn out but for the sense that the two day travelers were forging a complex relationship, despite the cultural chasm between them. Like other writers here, it would be sinful to go into any kind of detail or cite examples of why I loved this movie. Suffice it to say that I went from obligation to mild curiosity to astonishment to quiet joy and then...well, a feeling that I'd just seen, and been drawn into, one of the best films ever made and one of the best kept secrets ever to come out of any country. I sure hope that those of us who loved this movie will use word of mouth to spread the news about it. Sure, it's not everyone's cup of tea but you just might give someone who has been letting the DVD sit on his coffee table the opportunity to be part of a truly intimate experience.
Review of Japanese Story
