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Norwegian Wood

Original title: Noruwei no mori
  • 2010
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 13m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
12K
YOUR RATING
Rinko Kikuchi and Ken'ichi Matsuyama in Norwegian Wood (2010)
Upon hearing the song "Norwegian Wood," Toru remembers back to his life in the 1960s, when his friend Kizuki killed himself and he grew close to Naoko, Kizuki's girlfriend
Play trailer1:49
1 Video
99+ Photos
DramaRomance

Toru recalls his life in the 1960s, when his friend Kizuki killed himself and he grew close to Naoko, Kizuki's girlfriend, and another woman, the outgoing, lively Midori.Toru recalls his life in the 1960s, when his friend Kizuki killed himself and he grew close to Naoko, Kizuki's girlfriend, and another woman, the outgoing, lively Midori.Toru recalls his life in the 1960s, when his friend Kizuki killed himself and he grew close to Naoko, Kizuki's girlfriend, and another woman, the outgoing, lively Midori.

  • Director
    • Anh Hung Tran
  • Writers
    • Haruki Murakami
    • Anh Hung Tran
  • Stars
    • Ken'ichi Matsuyama
    • Rinko Kikuchi
    • Kiko Mizuhara
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    12K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Anh Hung Tran
    • Writers
      • Haruki Murakami
      • Anh Hung Tran
    • Stars
      • Ken'ichi Matsuyama
      • Rinko Kikuchi
      • Kiko Mizuhara
    • 62User reviews
    • 141Critic reviews
    • 58Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 9 nominations

    Videos1

    U.S. Version
    Trailer 1:49
    Watch U.S. Version

    Photos475

    Anh Hung Tran in Norwegian Wood (2010)
    Rinko Kikuchi in Norwegian Wood (2010)
    Rinko Kikuchi and Ken'ichi Matsuyama in Norwegian Wood (2010)
    Ken'ichi Matsuyama in Norwegian Wood (2010)
    Norwegian Wood (2010)
    Norwegian Wood (2010)
    Norwegian Wood (2010)
    Norwegian Wood (2010)
    Norwegian Wood (2010)
    Norwegian Wood (2010)
    Norwegian Wood (2010)
    Norwegian Wood (2010)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ken'ichi Matsuyama
    Ken'ichi Matsuyama
    • Toru Watanabe
    Rinko Kikuchi
    Rinko Kikuchi
    • Naoko
    Kiko Mizuhara
    Kiko Mizuhara
    • Midori
    Kengo Kôra
    • Kizuki
    Reika Kirishima
    Reika Kirishima
    • Dr. Reiko Ishida
    Eriko Hatsune
    Eriko Hatsune
    • Hatsumi
    Tokio Emoto
    Tokio Emoto
    • Storm Trooper
    Takao Handa
    • Midori's Father
    Yusuke
    • High School Classmate
    Yûki Itô
    • Student Activist
    Kentarô Tamura
    • Student Activist
    Makoto Sugisawa
    • Student Activist
    Kohei Yoshino
    • Student Activist
    Sawako Okuma
    • College Girl
    Haruka Masuda
    • College Girl
    Yui Higashiyama
    • College Girl
    Izumi Hirasawa
    • Midori's Friend
    Mariko Yamanaka
    • Midori's Sister
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • Anh Hung Tran
    • Writers
      • Haruki Murakami
      • Anh Hung Tran
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Rinko Kikuchi actively pursued a role in the film. Initially director Anh Hung Tran wasn't keen on casting her because of her raised profile following Babel (2006) but her audition tape convinced him otherwise.
    • Quotes

      Toru Watanabe: Nothing can heal the loss of a beloved. No truth, no sincerity, no strength, no kindness can heal that sorrow. All we can do is live through the sorrow and learn something from it. But whatever we learn will be of no help in facing the next sorrow that comes along.

    • Alternate versions
      The German TV version is 10 min shorter.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2010 (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      Norwegian Wood
      Lyrics and music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

      Performed by The Beatles

    User reviews62

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Movie Version of Norwegian Wood
    When I was a university student, one of my close friends told me that novels by Haruki Murakami were good, and recommended me to read them. I was 19 years old then, and it was the first time for me to read "Norwegian Wood." The novel captured my interest, and I have read it again and again since then, and I still read it even now. "Norwegian Wood" is one of my favorite books.

    The novel "Norwegian Wood" depicts the university days of the main character, Watanabe Tohru. In the novel, he lives in Tokyo, and goes to university. He likes reading American modern literature. He did not have any friends except for one best friend during his high school days, but the friend killed himself at the age of seventeen. Watanabe has several relationships with women between the age of 18 and 21. Some characters in the novel, other than Watanabe's best friend, have also killed themselves. The novel consists of sex, death, literature, and intelligence.

    I went to university, and had some close female friends. In addition, I liked reading classic literature. Furthermore, I did not belong to a sport clubs at university, so the scope of my friendship was limited. In essence, I felt a sense of intimacy with Watanabe while reading the novel. (In fact, I learnt "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger and "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald from Norwegian Wood, and both books were the first English novels which I completed reading in their original language.) Norwegian Wood is an important book for me, so I was glad to hear, 2 to 3 years ago, that the movie version of this novel would be screened. The movie was released about one week ago, and I went to see it today.

    Locations shot in the movie were beautiful, and the music sounds good. In particular, I was moved by one scene in which Reiko sang "Norwegian Wood" by the Beatles with a guitar, and Naoko lost her mental stability during Reiko's performance. In addition, the cast members in the movie were also good, especially Mizuhara Kiko, who played Midori, was very cute and vivid.

    Since I have read the novel over and over, and remember the whole story in detail, I can go so far as to say that I do not need any explanation for the story in the movie. Because I know the story, I was purely interested in how the film director, Tran Anh Hung, had expressed the novel through the media of a movie.

    The movie version of "Norwegian Wood" was not solely a converted version of the novel, but represented its originality and creativity with the help of movie techniques, such as music, voice (cry, laugh, or angry), facial expression, and scenery.

    However, it is certain that those who have never read the novel will not enjoy the movie.

    (The above comment is forwarded from my blog at http://metropolitantokyo.blogspot.com/)
    helpful•64
    31
    • takanori_ishizuka_sea
    • Dec 19, 2010

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    FAQ1

    • Is this film related to Beatles' song 'Norwegian Wood'?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 11, 2010 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Rừng Na Uy
    • Filming locations
      • Kamikawa, Hyogo, Japan
    • Production companies
      • Asmik Ace Entertainment
      • Dentsu
      • Fuji Television Network
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $13,000
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $13,000
      • Jan 8, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $19,144,719
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 13 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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