I selected this movie on a recent flight to Narita from London in November 2008 because it seemed to have everything I wanted in it. Steam trains, snow, pathos and emotion as well as a reasonable story line. I work in Tokyo and have been involved in Japanese culture for many years, and have many Japanese friends, and the only difference watching THIS movie was that I was crying by myself, rather than in good company.
The winter scenery was, as ever in Hokkaido, simply sublime and the characters carefully drawn and wholly believable. The plot was, for me, simple, but then I am a simple man, and even though I saw it all coming, the ending was a satisfactory confirmation rather than any great surprise.
To say that it made an impression on me does not do this movie justice - it was a confirmation in my mind of most of the things I love about Japan and its people.
You will not find violence, or, indeed, much in the way of loud voices, and the musical score is not only pretty quiet, but wholly suited to the plot-line. The key to enjoying this movie relies on your knowledge of how the Japanese people see themselves.
Even were I never to see it again, I would never forget it, and probably, neither would you.
