Here’s one I’ve been looking forward to for a while. Even though it showed at both the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals to not-so-great reviews, Norwegian Wood is still something I find myself curious about and excited for. Based on the novel of the same name by Haruki Murakami, directed by Tran Anh Hung and starring Kenichi Matsuyama and Rinko Kikuchi, the romantic drama has just gotten a trailer from The Guardian (via NoneSuch), and I think it looks pretty beautiful.

The shots selected here feel like there’s a real sense of thought put into them, and also have a satisfying look to them on a purely technical level. The two leads look pretty nice together, although this lets us know pretty clearly that it might not work out for them. It’s also nice that the preview has the Beatles song that shares a name with the film and novel (in the story, it’s the female lead’s favorite song). Trust me when I say that the moment I complain about the presence of their music in anything is a day that won’t ever come. Sadly, Jonny Greenwood’s score, the element of this film that many people are anticipating the most, is not present. Thankfully, it’s getting  a release on March 8th, so we don’t have to wait long to hear it. Watch the trailer below:

Plot: The story’s protagonist and narrator is Toru Watanabe, who looks back on his days as a freshman university student living in Tokyo. Through Toru’s reminiscences we see him develop relationships with two very different women — the beautiful yet emotionally troubled Naoko, and the outgoing, lively Midori.

Norwegian Wood opens in theaters on March 11^th.

What do you think of this trailer? Are you excited for Norwegian Wood?