Naomi Kawase's latest "Nana yo Machi" a Thai odyssey

by Chris MaGee

Many of you know that I continue to be puzzled by the fact that the films of Naomi Kawase don't get picked up by any North American DVD distributors or end up having at least some kind of limited runs in art house theatres. Yes, Kawase's last film "Mogari no Mori (The Mourning Forest)" did get programmed at TIFF 2007, but Kawase is a filmmaker that needs to be seen by a wider audience.

That being said, I wonder if her latest film "Nana yo Machi" will be the film that gets her the exposure she deserves. The film tells the story of a Japanese woman (played by Kyoko Hasegawa) who while traveling in Thailand gets lost and ends up falling in with a Thai family and a French tourist. Her frustration about her situation soon gives way when she is introduced to Thai massage by the mother of the family. Okay... well, at least the folks at Sutherland Chan will love this film.

Head on over to the official website for "Nana yo Machi" here to check out the trailer and some gorgeous stills from the film like the one above. Thanks to Kevin at Nippon Cinema for the heads up on this one.