Heavenly forest

This evening, I watched Heavenly Forest, a film I'd expected to like and liked even more - it is filled with happy surprises. The fairytale storyline has a twist that I found most thought provoking: apparently, something must be sacrificed even in fairytale-land for a certain kind of fulfillment.
I enjoyed the hyperbolic protagonist despite some of the extremes, because there is more to love than not. I mean, who among us subsists only on a diet of doughnut cookies!

The cinematography is poetic, the kind that makes you want to immediately go outside and see life with your own eyes. There are so many fascinating details - like a conversation about growing up being held against a changing scenery of fancy shop windows, and a half-pasted-over Marie Claire advertisement on a billboard (see above; click on images to expand.).
The heavenly forest is populated by what I will call an imaginary bird - and the quiet lake is so perfectly Japanese in being the perfect garden-representation of a real lake. As for the homes, the wabi sabi interiors would make Kenko proud, even with their modern flair. The interiors include random stuffed toys in a kitchen (see below), what looks like a large bird cage as a table support (above), exposed mix-matched china against a painted brick wall, photos mounted on accordion coat pegs...
And the actors' expressions are just as perfect-postcard. The character I most enjoyed watching was the young man, who mastered the look of uncomfortable surprise. I was very amused at how he would compose himself after a few beats, and go on to do the most inspired, strangely mature things, usually by changing the topic to something most delightful.
This short response to the film is definitely a warm recommendation that you see it.

Elements: film strip shape: Volframia.