LOVE LETTER

One of the most beloved directorial debuts of the 1990s and a popular sensation in Japan and beyond, Shunji Iwai’s epistolary drama LOVE LETTER — first released in the US as WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES and playing here in a new 4K restoration — stars Miho Nakayama, in a dual role, as both widowed fiancée Hiroko and librarian Itsuki, a former classmate of Hiroko’s deceased lover, together keeping alive the memory of the departed in a correspondence, begun by accident, that brings many a faded memory into focus.

A work of gentle melodiousness and forceful feeling, of unexpected digressions and beautifully modulated tonal shifts, and, thanks to cinematographer Noboru Shinoda’s exquisite eye for the snowy landscape of Hokkaido, of formidable pictorial beauty.

“One of the most original talents to emerge from Japan in the '90s, director Shunji Iwai tapped into the dreams and lives of Japan’s youth with his lyrical meditations on the hardships of young adulthood, capturing pivotal and unforgettable moments of life. Balancing popular entertainment with arthouse predilection, Iwai’s exhilarating takes on the youth film provided a much-needed voice for the younger generation, offering delicate portraits of adolescence, ripe with poetic yearnings of grief, friendship and young love. Iwai’s sumptuous visual style coupled with his affecting and underground appeal opened a world of new possibilities in the '90s cinescape — marking him as one of the most accomplished and unique filmmakers of his generation.” - Japan Society