TRAILERS

Murakami Stories in Animation 'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman' Trailer

by Alex Billington
March 3, 2023
Source: YouTube

"Living with you… was like living with a chunk of air." Zeitgeist Films has revealed the official US trailer with English dubbing for an acclaimed indie animated film titled Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, the feature directorial debut of composer Pierre Földes. This premiered at last year's Annecy Film Festival, also stopping by the Toronto & Busan Film Festivals. Based on several short stories by the renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami (of Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood). Utilizing a surreal hybrid animation style that incorporates live-action references, 3D modeling, and traditional layouts, the film begins in Tokyo just days after the earthquake of 2011. Aided by a lost cat and a loquacious giant frog, an unambitious salesman, his frustrated wife and a schizophrenic accountant are called upon to save their city from obliteration and find meaning in their lives. "It is sure to appeal to the wide range of Murakami fans and hopefully anyone who wants to take a wild and imaginative ride into a world that seems oddly no stranger than our own." We featured a trailer last year, but this is a reminder that it's opening soon in the US in limited theaters. Enjoy.

Here's the official US trailer (+ poster) for Pierre Földes' Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, on YouTube:

Full synopsis from Zeitgeist: Tokyo, a few days after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Kyoko suddenly leaves after spending five days in a row glued to unfolding earthquake news on TV. Her helpless husband Komura takes a week’s leave from work and heads north to deliver a box and its unknown contents to two young women. His colleague Katagiri, a simple debt collector by profession and an awkward loner in life, returns home one evening to find a two-metre-tall green frog asking for his help to save Tokyo from an imminent earthquake. Through memories, dreams and fantasies, Kyoko, Komura and Katagiri, influenced by their visions of earthquakes—which are manifested as evil willow trees, giant earthworms, secret vows, mysterious boxes and a dark, endless corridor—attempt to rediscover their own true selves again… Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, also known as Saules aveugles, femme endormie in French, is both written and directed by French musician / filmmaker Pierre Földes, a composer making his feature directorial debut with this project. Based on the short stories by Haruki Murakami. This first premiered at the 2022 Annecy Film Festival last year. Zeitgeist Films opens Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman in select US theaters (starting at Film Forum in NYC) on April 14th, 2023. For more info on theaters, visit their official site. Look good?

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