Excellent cinematography and fine performances. This is the first time I've seen Keira Knightley turn in such a subtle and faceted performance. It suits her well.Other reviewers complained about things like lack of subtitles for the Japanese dialogue, lack of emotion in the performances, lack of believability in the infatuation that takes place in Japan, and complaints that the film was 'too slow'.First: The Japanese dialogue didn't require subtitles. An observant viewer could figure out what's going on easily enough.Second: This is one of the few films out there that actually dialed-down the tendency to over-act scenes. For this reason, it's a more realistic portrayal of human beings. I'm noticing a definite increase in the number of people out there that can't seem to identify subtle emotions. Not sure what's up with that. It's a disturbing trend.Third: Clearly people who don't believe the in-Japan romance portion of this film have never experienced love at first sight (or maybe they're inexperienced in relationships).Fourth: Complaints of this genre of film being too slow are ridiculous. My advice for people who have this complaint is to stick to action films (or practise observing and acknowledging visual information). Maybe take up hiking or an art class. That might help.In summary, if you have a sophisticated eye for film and are mature enough in areas of romance (failed or otherwise), this is a film that you'll likely appreciate.

Beautiful images are not enough when it comes to movies, and this film is a major example of that. The very first scene of this film, that of a naked woman slowly being revealed from the mists rising from a hot spring, is very moving, artistic even, and filled with promise. We start to speculate, who is this woman, how does she tie in with the plot, what will she mean for our main character. Unfortunately scenes like this are pretty much all we get from this film. There is a plot, certainly, but the plot alone is not enough. An exciting plot is usually enough when we're dealing with an adventure or an action film, though in those cases good characters are also needed.This film, however, is a period piece, a historical drama, and those film, above all else, need good characters and excellent dialogue, because there's rarely anything else in them. Unfortunately this film has neither. The dialogues are barren, banal and lacking any insight worth sharing. I found my attention wandering whenever the characters were trying to have a conversation, because they weren't saying anything meaningful. These conversations offered us no insight into the characters, they were just there to hurry the plot along. But I could have overlooked that if the characters had showed any real promise. They did not, and they were easily the worst part of this film. The main character wasn't actually the worst offender, he was just about average. Rather all the side characters lacked any kind of personality, the Japanese above all else. And that's because they rarely talked at all or if they talked, they didn't talk about anything important. The scenes in Japan were nothing more than gorgeous scenery and silent mood pieces. And that simply wasn't enough. The scenery was beautiful to look at, but even it wasn't anything spectacular or new. I've seen them before in other period pieces set in Japan, many times over.Though, as far as characters go, I must say that the character of Baldabiou (Alfred Molina) was actually pretty entertaining. He felt like a real person. Unfortunately he was the only one of his kind.And then there's the drama, which also fails, because while the main character has our sympathies, it's hard to care for his relationship problems, when we never learn anything about the women in his life. They are there, sure, but they very rarely say anything and quite frankly the romance gets almost completely bypassed to make room for the pretty pictures of snow-topped mountains and steaming hot springs.So is it worth seeing? Depends on what you're looking for. If all you need is a film with moderately interesting plot and good-looking scenery, this might be for you. If you require believable and three-dimensional characters, engaging drama and new world views, I'd stray as far away as possible.

The movie lacks pace, thankfully so, otherwise the effect on the audience would be different. Did I like this movie? I did and will watch it more than the two times I have already. It is a movie for those who love the art of storytelling, who enjoy good poems now and then and who are secret romantics. The characters are such that you will quickly like or dislike them from the start and your feeling about them will slowly, very slowly, change one way or the other. That is what the slow pace allows you the rare opportunity to do. The story is not a common one and it is an adventure, a very romantic adventure, the rarest of kind. The cinematography is beautiful, not outstanding but beautiful. There is just a bit of violence, parts of this movie require it. How the director managed to blend it with passion, love and infatuation is a coup I have not seen since or before. If you count Michael Pitt among actors you have not yet come to like, this movie will not change your mind but if you had nothing negative to say about him before than you can start appreciating his style. He is developing in quite the character actor. Such character actor is less in demand but a style with few proponents and who can actually deliver the rare performances demanded by a story's harsh circumstances. If you did not go 'googoo' eyed for Keira Knightley in the past you just may well in this movie; I did, but it's not permanent. I could go on about all the scenes in Japan but I am admittedly too bias, I love all things Japan, so I will spare you all. You will have reasons to remember the movie; I wish them to be good as for you as they are for me.

Recap: A young man, Hervé, leaves the army to join the silk producing business in his home town, in 19th century France. He falls in love with a girl, Hélène, and they get married. But there is a problem with the silk worms, there is a disease spreading and they're dying. Hervé goes on a long journey to Japan to acquire some new ones. But there he meets a girl, a concubine to the baron he is dealing with, a girl he can never forget. Drawn to her he goes on more trips to Japan, but Hélène is never far from his thoughts. Can one love two women? Can Hervé find peace and happiness anywhere or is he doomed to forever long for someone else.Comments: This is a very beautiful movie. Beautiful and sensual. The main story is not the plot but the emotions Hervé is drawn between. The story is just a good excuse, and motivation, to set Hervé in the right place emotionally.Hervé goes on a lot of journeys. Journeys can often slow the pace down in a movie, but since the story is not the main attraction, that is not such a big problem. What they are though is stunningly beautiful, as Hervé passes some spectacular scenery along the way.The visual beauty, and the emotional, almost sensual feel in the movie is very well handled. And you need to appreciate such movies or themes to appreciate this movie, there is not much else. In fact the movie is a little slow, edging on a little dull sometimes. My tip is that you got something else to do while you're watching, that way you can appreciate the good points without becoming bored.The acting is very good, though that is not very surprising considering the cast includes Michael Pitt, Keira Knightley, Koja Yakusho and Alfred Molina. Sei Ashina, who plays the girl, is more of a newcomer but shows promise. That the acting is well balanced is important when the movie depends so heavily on the emotions of the characters, and it is quite successful at it. That means that Francois Girard directing is nothing short of impressive.However, this is not extremely entertaining, more like a piece of art. If you enjoy such movies, this is recommended.6/10