Mogari No Mori translates to The Mourning Forest and describes the efforts of an old man in a retirement home named Shigeki to be with his deceased wife in the forest. He is aided by a new worker there, a young woman named Machiko. I found the movie awful, boring, and ugly. The first half and the second half were not connected narratively or linked in any rational manner. Though each half was essential for the plot, what little there was, there was a distinct separation between the two halves in what should have been a fluid conversion from introducing the characters to going on the quest. The first half was filled with nuances and character tics that amount to nothing and the second half is filled with repetitive wandering in the forest. The movie was slow and exhausting with many pointless scenes. It was just too much of the same, narratively and visually. The green was overpowering and the cinematography overall hindered my enjoyment. It was a beautiful landscape that was thrown away by mediocre shots and shaky camera work. The acting was also relatively subpar, I felt, as I knew right away that most of the characters were non-actors. I didn't like the music except for the piano duet near the beginning.I did like some parts of the movie though. It has a powerful, emotional story; it's just poorly told. The movie had a good idea for a short film, but wasted it by trying to make it feature length. There are some funny parts, some arresting scenes, and some surprises in the retirement home and in the forest. It's just not enough to make this movie good, I'm sorry. I can't believe it won the Grand Prix (second place to Palme d'Or). I'm grateful that Grand Prix winners fade into oblivion from the collective memory, as this movie goes wholly unrecommended by me.
IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt1016205/