There is such reverence shown to nature here, in how the clouds move across the sky, the sunlight is reflected like diamonds in the water, the trees sway in the wind, and the ethereal mist shrouds the landscape. I love what I think director/writer Naomi Kawase was going for, and only wish the storytelling was a little more lucid, especially in the second half. Genuine connection, the need for simplicity, the renewal of nature, the fundamental flaw with humanity ... a meditation on all that accompanied by beautiful forest scenery is great stuff, and it was certainly nice to see Juliette Binoche here as well. The themes just aren't synthesized very well, leading to a disappointed feeling at the end.
