The Japanese Wife

I am big fan of Aparna sen. i don't understand Bengali but that doesn't stop me watching this movie. its journey to meaningful cinema where you can experience the character from within. its about a small village teacher become postal friend to a Japanese girl and their relationship bonds over through letters. withe the passage of time they marry each other from within and stay committed to each other.

this is going to stay in your mind for long time. one of the best movies i have seen. Rahal Bose and Mausami is class. Raima Sen is first class. cinematography is extremely wonderful. hats of to the director for choosing wonderful location to shoot. this is for sure a great movie in every aspect. Indian cinema at best.

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 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.

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".

Aparna Sen did it again or to be precise even better than before. What all ingredients you want in a romantic movie, probably you won't find them in The Japanese Wife. But more importantly they have a story to tell and they told it very subtly.

Snehamoy (Rahul Bose) a school teacher in an Indian village fell in love Miyage (Chigusa Takaku) through the medium of letters; and so does Miyage. That love turns to marriage and hence starts their married life without seeing each other in person. There are many movies with similar theme, but most of them ends here. That's the different, this movie starts with their marriage. It was refreshing to see how they carry forward their marriage on letters. There are only letters for first half and hour or so. There are lovely little village incidents (kite flying, etc.) all through the movie. And ended on a perfect note.

Full marks to Rahul Bose for getting in Snehamoy's skin. Convincing performance from rest of the cast. The best part about the movie is quite vivid and imaginative use of props, background and music.

Though I am not a big fan of romantic movies. I enjoyed the movie to the core with my limited Bengali. Try and get a copy with English subtitle if possible.

Take away - watch it till the end, u'll be reward.