Tony Takitani

Tony Takitani (2004) is an impressive adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami and directed by Jun Ichikawa. It stars Issey Ogata as Takitani, a loner who falls in love with a woman, Eiko (Rie Miyazaki), who is obsessed with buying clothes. When she suddenly dies, Takitani struggles with her memory and coming to terms with loss. The film's style is reminiscent of that of Yasujiro Ozu in there are ellipses of major life events such as weddings and funeral and Ichikawa employs still life scenes as transitions throughout. There are several medium and long shots throughout the films as well. The tone is set by the melancholy piano score by Ryuichi Sakamoto and static shots that have little movement throughout the film. However, there is significant voice over narration that calls to mind the short story and is something that Ozu never employed in his films. The film clocks in at just 75 minutes, butt it feels very poignant and true to the feelings of loneliness, memory, and the pain of loss. I was inspire dot go back and read Murakami's shot story and I was surprised to see that Ichikawa simplified the short story even more and I can see why-however, I think he did capture the essence of the story's style and sentiments.