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The Pillow Book is a 1996 film by UK director Peter Greenaway, which stars Vivian Wu as Nagiko, a Japanese model in search of pleasure and new cultural experience from various lovers. The film is a rich and artistic melding of dark modern drama with idealized Chinese and Japanese cultural themes and settings. It co-stars Ewan McGregor as Jerome, an English translator who becomes Nagiko's favourite lover. Greenaway also wrote the screenplay, in addition to directing.
PlotSpoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Later, Nagiko rejects Jerome out of jealousy for fear that he has rejected her for her father's publisher (see below). She wanted her work published but it was rejected by her father's enemy and former publisher, with whom Jerome had homosexual relations in the past. Jerome was to "persuade" the publisher to publish her works since they had a former relationship. During this "persuasion", Jerome appears to lose track of time and doesn't meet Nagiko, which she takes as rejection and betrayal of the worst kind, and refuses to meet him again. Jerome sinks into depression and meets with Nagiko's friend, desperate to find a way to get her to forgive him. Nagiko's friend suggests that he take some pills and knock himself out, similar to the fake death scene in Romeo and Juliet. Jerome takes the pills, overdoses and kills himself in her home. When Nagiko comes home and finds Jerome dead she is devasted, and realizes how much she loved him. His body is then stolen by enemies of Nagiko's father (the publisher). Nagiko becomes distraught and seeks to overturn the coercive influences which had made her reject happiness with Jerome. She hatches an elaborate and original plan to use the bodies of the Englishman and her other (would be) lovers to exact revenge upon her father's publisher by writing the "Pillow Book" on their flesh and then sending it to the publisher, who dishonoured her father with demands of homosexual favours in exchange for publication. The publisher skins Jerome, and makes his flesh a book. The title, "The Pillow Book", is in reference to a kind of Japanese diary, in which the story was made from the skin of Jerome's body, as an act of desecration. Upon recovering the "book" Nagiko writes "The Pillow Book" on it, telling of her story. She is revealed to have been pregnant with Jerome's child, and is shown in the epilogue reading to that child from the book. It is important to note that Nagiko's bi-cultural heritage plays a key role in this film. As a half-Chinese and half-Japanese woman, Nagiko navigates her dual cultures through physical and psychological exploration. Greenaway portrays this exploration subtly by mixing and switching Asian iconography. See also
Soundtrack
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