Blind Willow Sleeping Woman is an animated interpretation of a collection
of short stories by the Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Set in Tokyo, a
few days after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Blind Willow Sleeping Woman
follows the lives of various characters as they deal with the natural
disaster.
The first story sees a young Japanese woman, who has been glued to the TV
news for days following the earthquake suddenly leave her husband, Kyoko.
Her husband then leaves his work to deliver a box and its unknown contents
to two young women.
The second, and most bizarre, involves a shy debt collector who returns
home one evening to find a two-metre-tall frog asking for his help to save
Tokyo from impending destruction by a giant subterranean worm.
The pace of Blind Willow Sleeping Woman won’t be to everyone’s liking as at
times it can be painfully slow. The characters for the most part, it isn’t
hard to see why Kyoko’s wife left him but I suppose that is the idea, are
pretty drab and lack any real depth. One thing you can’t fault is the
gorgeous animation which features a blend of different animation
techniques.
If you’re a fan of either Japanese animation or Haruki Murakami’s work
Blind Willow Sleeping Woman is a must. For everyone else it might be just a
bit to bizarre for your liking.
