DREAMING MURAKAMI (Nitesh Anjaan, Denmark). 58 minutes. Rating: NNN
Dane Mette Holm has translated the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami’s books for close to 20 years, and this quiet doc observes her as she works on his latest release – the double bill of Hear The Wind Sing and Pinball, reissues of his earliest novels – and then gets set to interview the man himself in Copenhagen.
The introverted Holm isn’t a very engaging or articulate subject, but director Nitesh Anjaan includes some of her illuminating letters and photos, discussions about literary minutiae with other translators and even an absurd trip to a pinball arcade to study the game.
A CGI frog (a reference to one of the author’s famous stories) adds a fitting surreal touch, but the best sequences come from Holm’s casual talks with Japanese bartenders and sushi restaurant owners, shedding light on a gradually changing country.
Apr 27, 9:15 pm, Scotiabank 4 Apr 29, 10 am, TIFF 2 May 4, 4:15 pm, TIFF 2
