The flat, enigmatic prose of bestselling author Haruki Murakami left me cold when I read his novel Norwegian Wood: but I might give him another go thanks to this stylish adaptation of 1999’s Sputnik Sweetheart, by writer Bryony Lavery and director Melly Still. A story of loneliness, desire and longing, from the near past when smartphones and social networks weren’t ubiquitous, it’s a strange but beguiling event, and surprisingly warm.
In the novel the schoolteacher narrator, known as K, explains his unrequited love for his female friend Sumire who is (yawn!) an aspiring novelist, obsessed with Jack Kerouac. Here, attractively played by Naruto Komatsu, he is just another character whose veracity is doubtful, rather than the dominant male filter.
