This is a triumphant first feature for Shunji Iwai, the most delightful film that I saw at the 1995 Toronto Film Festival. So be forewarned: the following is a bit of a rave.

A contemporary Japanese love story, about two women who loved the same man, who write letters to each other about him and discover in the process that the past isn't what they thought it was.

It's an intimate story, but filmed in a breathtaking wide-screen format. There are two different characters who share the same name. And a single actress, Miho Nakayama, plays two different characters. And these two pairs partially overlap (don't worry; it's supposed to be a little confusing, at first). It's sweet, a little sentimental, perhaps -- romantic high-school girlish, but in a good way --, sometimes ecstatic, a bit suspenseful, and often gently funny.

Miho Nakamaya's performance is superb: finely shaded and balanced, it animates the entire movie. The music is an incongruous mishmash of references to Mahler, Ravel, Bach, Joni Mitchell (?), and Gershwin, but it works, beautifully.

Love Letter's editing and cinematography deserve top billing, along with its director. The filmmakers joyously deploy hand-held wide-screen photography a year before Lars von Trier made it fashionable. There is a dazzling amount of rapid-fire cutting, though not of the look-at-me MTV style; the editing just authoritatively, and gracefully, expresses the attenuated-dreamy mood of the whole piece. And echos a theme of the film, that "points of view" can be manifold, richly dispersed, yet still somehow (magically) coherent.

Sure, there are issues of memory/reconstruction, identity/fragmentation (Proust's Remembrance of things past figures prominently in the plot)..., but it would spoil the fun, in a way, to dwell on them. We've seen some of the same elements, deployed less successfully, in Shusuke Kaneko's Summer Vacation 1999. Wong Kar-Wai's Chungking Express kept coming to mind, too: for similarities in mood and theme. If you were charmed by that film, then you shouldn't miss Love Letter (and vice-versa, I suspect). I cried several times during the movie (not my usual practice).

Reviewed by Geeky Marcus
of Natural Born Viewers

I recommend everyone who plan to watch this movie to go in spoiler-free. Stop reading this dumbass review. Actually, don't read anything that has to do with this movie. You will thank me for that.

So, stop it right there...

Now, since you are still reading I will assume you have watched the movie and know the plot. On the primary level, "Love Letter" is about Hiroko's (Miho Nakayama) recovery from the loss of Itsuki-the-guy, but the genius of the film, in my opinion, lies in the way it shows us a romance from the past through the recollection of two women who are unaware of it. It's about acting cool towards the girl you love, hide your feelings from her, go climb some mountain, fall to your death, and let the girl find out how much you loved her after you die. Wow.

This is a film about subtle romance -- which may explain why some in the Western audience think this movie is total crap (The Los Angeles Times says this movie is "relentlessly tedious and contrived" -- retards). The thing is, through the years we have been brain-washed by too many lame comedies or ground-breaking epics we almost forget how much more romantic love can be when it is not acted upon. Unrequited love is, in my opinion, one of the most intriguing of human emotions, especially when you bring it along to your grave. It takes a lot of faith to love somebody knowing full well that he or she may NEVER find out. It may be a tragedy in real life, but on the screen it provides material for stories that strike our hearts.

Just think: right now, at this moment, how many people do you think are crazy about you? None? That's the whole point of the movie. It raises the possibility that we may mean more to certain people than we think we do. If you snuff it today, someone you least expect may become devastated. That's the magic of this film. And come on, we are talking about high school, we all have some sweet memories back there right? No? Urgh... sorry.

Plot-wise and mood-wise "Love Letter" is perfect. It's one of those films that blend romance with death and actually work. It is also a very good-looking film, but honestly I don't understand why it was shot in 2.35: 1. It looks weird. I mean, use 16:9 man! 2.35:1 is for summer blockbuster crap. That said, however, I must admit the cinematography is downright beautiful, the best example of which, of course, is the opening credits where Hiroko strolls down a snowy slope while the heavy yet fantastic score by Remedios plays in the background. Other shots, however, simply do not look right, especially those that feature Itsuki's high school days. I suspect it has something to do with too much light flooding in from the windows. Or perhaps because the girls of this particular high school really suck.

Miho Nakayama plays both Hiroko and Itsuki-the-girl. It's a passable performance, I am not going to give her extra marks just because she plays two roles. I think she obviously tried too hard to look "cute" portraying Itsuki-the-girl. Yeah, I know, she's supposed to be cute, but she's overdoing it. Actually I suspect most Japanese girls have this tendency to act like ten years younger than they actually are. Japanese men absolutely buy that. Takashi Kashiwabara, who plays Itsuki-the-guy, is one good-looking dude. I imagine I could have slept with all the girls I wanted in high school had I looked like that. Etsushi Toyokawa, on the other hand, is simply annoying as Hiroko's present romantic interest. I don't know why, I just hate this guy. Perhaps I have something against guys who wear long hair? And he rolls glass for a living. Is that supposed to make him look groovy? I mean, jee, he just gets on my nerves.

"Love Letter" is a great movie. I cannot stress that enough. Some minor glitches here and there, yes, but overall it's a mind-blowing experience with a nice dose of subtlety. If you are complaining that Itsuki is stupid to let his chance slip away, fuck off. Go watch "Bridget Jones' Diary." Or jump off a bridge. You cannot really judge this movie unless you appreciate that our feelings don't always show. I can also imagine that if you live in a place where people have sex the next day they start dating, you will probably think this movie stinks too. Too bad for you... but wait... SEX THE NEXT DAY? You lucky sonofabitch!

*BTW, I learnt just now this film was called "When I Close My Eyes" when it was released in the U.S. Now, why the hell would people think "When I Close My Eyes" is a good name for a movie?