It offers a realistic portrayal of Momo’s emotional state, but this comes at the expense of a deeper exploration into both the story’s lush supernatural landscape and its inhabitants.
If Kitano does go forward with the rumored third volume, hopefully he’ll conceive of some fresh angle on this increasingly dry material.
Peter Webber’s historical drama is blunt about its stylistic ambitions while at the same time failing to meet them, and the effect is one of sad ineffectuality.