Toru's Inner Life

 One of the most interesting differences between the Norwegian Wood book and film is the way each portrays the inner world of the protagonist, Toru. In the Murakami novel, the memories and experiences of Toru are much more intricate and personal because they are all told through his voice. We get to see his quirks, reactions, and troubled musings on death and life. We are constantly inside his mind, so we can feel the complexity of his grief, desire, guilt, and confusion surrounding Kizuki and Naoko. I feel like, because of that, we can see things much more from his perspective and know his internal reactions to things. He comes off as a much more conflicted, angst-riddled, and despondent person. 

In the movie, however, the film feels more distant and aesthetic. I think the differences that the distance between the two media creates are significant because Norwegian Wood is a novel entirely concerned with the nature of memory and internal experience. A lot of scenes, which were much longer scenes in the novel, like Stormtrooper waking Toru up to do his exercises, were represented only in mere seconds or not represented at all. Because of that, I feel like the film captures Toru and the other characters less as a whole. I wonder if a film that includes everything in the novel would become more boring or less artistic as a result. However, I enjoyed how the film makes the world of Norwegian Wood feel melancholic and dreamlike, even if it sacrifices some of the psychological depth and rich details in the novel. 

Katherine