The Japanese Wife

"One day I will come to you floating down this river (river Matla) just like a sailing boat" a platonic love that needs no technical gizmos and beyond the constrains of cultural, language, distance, social dogmas .... 'A rare gem' as many film makers call this movie, a poignant story, a smooth soft flow ..

first i would miss it if i would not be suggested by my friend ..thank god..i didn't.....it is such a wonderful movie with great acting,direction and the environment they set up,i have never seen in Indian movies this year.gradually the story continues..it will hold on to your mind gracefully.everybody in this film played their character very well and Rahul bose..he is an excellent.apart from "mr & mrs iyer","15th park avenue"..this film is "one piece" of its kind.aparna sen has again showed her quality as a director in this film.

i would say,this is not the genre that everybody will like it.but the love story and the representation of the simple story ..is such that you should watch it at least once,then you will know the charm of this film. yes,i would recommend tat you should watch the film without any "second thought".

The malleability of the plausible emotions of the lead characters of the film under the director's realistic hammer blows is one of the features which makes 'The Japanese Wife' a treat to watch. The slow pace touches upon the various chords of a sensible heart. The two star-crossed spouses residing in far-off places fall in love and eventually marry without actually meeting each other in person, yet their love is far more loyal and inextricable than those lovers or spouses who stay together. But, their simple lifestyle and righteousness do them in at last. Poetic justice is not meted out and this makes the plot all the more plausible. Given the profound dynamism and the many facets of human emotions that run crisscross along the length & breadth of the movie, one is sure to identify with the pristine humanity of the characters. Minimalism in music and natural, yet far from being a dime a dozen, musically lyrical words and sentences coupled with a haunting silence of death touch up the aggravating pathos of the characters till the very end.

The film is excellent. I don't clasify it as a romantic film. I think it's a film about human relationships and values. People from western (the so-called 'developted') countries, cannot even understand the behavior in such societies. So you may read some comments that the film is not ...realistic (!), or so. Hollywood film watchers have totally lost the ability to understand a piece of art. The first think that comes to mind is that money in such societies is not the goal but just a mean. Kindness, generosity. support etc prevail. Love is pure and without expecting something in return. This is not the exception but the rule. This is not something artificial, as people in west may think. It's a result of the social construction, (the lack of capitalism if you prefer a political or economical term). If seen under this perspective everything is easily understood: Why the aunt is so supportive, the devotion that Snehamoy has to his 'wife', the attitude of the widow, both against Snehamoy and his 'wife', at the end of the film. The directing is pretty good, and so I think for the acting. I really enjoyed and I heartily recommend it.

The story is quite far fetched - pen pals in 2 different remote areas of India and Japan respectively decided to marry without seeing each other and to carry on a long marriage in a long distance relationship. Overall, a hidden gem - well made, well executed, touching, heart warming and entertaining. Very beautifully shot too. Highly recommend.