Today I overslept and then it got rainy in the afternoon which meant no riding for me. Instead I caught 2 films which were spun from novels: The Virgin Suicides (1999) & Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World (2004).
Of the two, I preferred the latter a lot more but I wouldn't dismiss the former. It tells of a neighbourhood focusing on a family with five beautiful girls who are the target of fixation by the boys around them. Their overprotective parents impose on them rules that in ways led to their suicides. Even in their confinement after one of them breaks a curfew, the girls collectively break free in their death. Their relationships with the voyeuristic boys is one of cruelty as satiate the boys' hormone-driven curiosity finally with the first view of their suicide.
In juxtaposition to the licentious and dysfunctional relationships between the teenagers, Crying (2004) was refreshing in its purity as the lead revisists memories of his love in high school as a typhoon descends and other circumstances lead him to do so. There are many parallels between this movie and Norwegian Wood (which should be released next year, I'm looking forward to it!) as both novels are bestsellers in Japan. The movie initially started very slowly but after getting used to the pace, the length was necessary for character development. The twist at the end involving the lead's fiancée brought the story to a satisfying conclusion which is where sometimes heavy-going shows like this falter.
Both movies had beautiful cinematography as they were set in a time before. The Virgin Suicides had homogenous color themes in each scene and not jarringly so, it added an artistic touch to the cinematography. Crying was also beautiful as it visited the countryside in Japan despite it having a more rustic feel
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