Hatsuyuki no koi

Why isn't this film better known? It's so beautiful it melts your heart! Virgin Snow (2007) is a simple story of a Korean boy and a Japanese girl who fall in love. The boy goes to Japan with his father, a potter, for one year and though he doesn't know the Japanese language he is enrolled in school and has to acclimate to new surroundings and people. On a bike ride he stops by a shrine and meets a lovely traditional Japanese girl in a kimono and there is an instant attraction. Though they don't know each other's languages, they manage to communicate with sign language and a few words of English both know.

They fall in love but the girl has a secret: her home-life is a tragic one, which she keeps from the boy, only showing him her happy side. Eventually they are parted but will fate intervene and bring them back together again? I thought this film one of the most beautifully photographed films I have ever seen. Have you ever seen Japanese director Ozu's classic films? He had in them what is called by movie critics "pillow shots": moments in his films that add a punctuation to certain scenes, focusing on the beauties of nature. This film has some outstandingly beautiful moments just like those, but even prettier.

The English subtitles were excellent, but the film is so beautiful you would not even require any subtitles to enjoy it: you are seeing the Language of Love, which is universal. The two main actors: Jun-ki Lee of Korea, and Aoi Miyazaki of Japan, are dreamy to look at. They have a gentleness about them that is impossible to see today in the youth of the West, a spiritual beauty that shines forth like a full moon on a Spring night.

You can buy Virgin Snow on yesasia.com or eBay. RUN, don't walk, and get it, especially if you enjoy Asian films or Japanese / Korean culture.