Japanese Story (2003)

This is one of my all time favourite films. The acting is good through out by all but Toni Collette really steals the show. I thought the slow pacing was perfect. I thought the music was exceptional. It burns in to your soulHowever if your expecting the standard totally mismatched man and woman who fall in love story which has already been done as comedy a hundred times - well I suppose it is but no at a deeper level this is quite different.Is the film racist? Who knows, maybe, not being Japanese or Aborigine I couldn't say.This should be viewed as cinematic poetry so in that light all the criticisms that have been made in other reviews about plot holes and unlikely occurrences, whilst not invalid, don't apply.

The movie was slow paced with very little action. At times it was even confusing at to what was going on between Sandy and Hiromitsu Tachibana because of the lack of dialogue. The accents of both characters also make the movie hard to follow because you have to decipher a Japanese and Australian accent often during a single conversation. In between the slow dialogue (SPOILER!!!!!!!), there is a sudden awkward sex scene (Sandy put pants on) between the two after only knowing each other for a few days and then Hiro abruptly and dramatically dying after diving into the shallow end of a small body of water like a child into a pool for the first time. This movie is a great example of nonverbal communication and great for a class to watch and analyze, but not so much for entertainment purposes. If you are a nonverbal communications teacher at any level of education, you need to have you students watch this movie regardless of an awkward sex scene. And yes that means high school students as well. It's the human body so we need to get past censoring the human bodies in schools.

Japanese Story is a fantastic Indie film. I was actually required to watch this film for a nonverbal communication course in college. I am quite happy that this film was chosen to be analyzed, otherwise I may have not seen it. Not only did this film teach me more about nonverbal interactions but also benefited me as a filmmaker. As an aspiring director and cinematographer, analyzing films is the best kind of homework. If you have not seen this film, I recommend you to watch it. Right from the beginning the film had me fully immersed into the story. It was almost as if there was a mystery was hidden in the plot that kept me intrigued. This film has a well written story with a major twist in the plot that you will never see coming!

I cannot answer the question regarding what 'Japanese Story' is about without risking spoiler. It's the kind of film that is best appreciated if the viewer himself or herself discovers what the story is telling. Set against the stunning and dry Australian landscape, this movie is like a poem. Silence is a key element here. The actors convey so much more with their non-verbal language than the lines they are given to deliver. Just a simple glance, a touch or a brief reaction reveals so much. Sue Brooks has done quite a magnificent job with a small film. With limited dialogues and only the actors body language, she displays a beautiful bond that develops between the two protagonists. Many feel that the 'postcard' landscape shots were clichéd. However, I couldn't disagree more to that because they are a key element of the story and its characters. Especially for a road movie like this, it's crucial to select the right settings. In addition to that, the soundtrack is amazing as it complements the moments in the film. Toni Collette and Gotaro Tsunashima are spellbinding in their respective roles. Collette's powerful on screen presence is put to full use here and Tsunashima is quietly restrained yet mesmerizing. The chemistry sizzles the screen. 'Japanese Story' may not be everybody's cup of tea but those in search of something that exceeds mere entertainment, something beautiful, then I could easily recommend this.