Tony Takitani: 3 stars.
This, it should be mentioned, is a high 3. This movie, based on the story of the same name by Haruki Murakami, is as lyrical, melancholy, contemplative and detached as Murakami’s prose. It is rare for a movie based on a book or short story to so perfectly capture the essence of the author’s writing, but this one does it admirably. It was beautifully shot, but so contemplative at times that it made me fall asleep, though only briefly. Recommended.