Erika

I have a short attention span like almost everyone else online, and barely am able to read a book these days (sad, I know) -- so I was fully expecting to find this movie boring and a chore to get through. Little did I know that I would be watching all 3 hours of this movie in one go, and would do another watch of it later on just to catch any threads I may have missed. And I'm sure I missed a ton, not being familiar at all with Murakami's original stories or Chekov's work. Even so, the movie was enrapturing. The cinematography is beautiful and evokes nostalgia, and the acting wonderful. I was a bit worried about the dialogue sounding stilted (as Murakami's works tend to be), but it did not bother me in the least. There is so much to examine and mull over in between the dialogue, within silent moments. It was emotionally affecting without it feeling insincere or unrealistic, and I found myself thinking about it days afterwards.