Heavenly Forest (2006)

Heavenly Forest falls into the "Pure Love" subgenre that has become increasingly popular in both Japan and South Korea in recent years. A select few of these films have been both brilliant and deeply moving. What is perhaps most remarkable about Heavenly Forest is that the film's central romance never feels contrived or overly-manipulative. In fact, we don't realize just how invested we are in that relationship until the very end. Heavenly Forest is beautifully shot and well-constructed, but its fate as a successful romance hinges on the performances of its two lead actors, both of whom deliver fine performances. Aoi Miyazaki fans will not be disappointed. Sanjuro - LOVE HK FILM.com

The look of the film is beautiful. Director Takehiko Shinjo ecompasses the film with gorgeous backdrops and alluring lighting that are very easy on the eyes. Another aspect I enjoyed was the score. A classical direction that surely benefits the film in many ways (is very effective in the film’s 2nd half). Fantastic work to say the least. "Heavenly Forest" is a film for the sentimental crowd and will surely touch anyone who watches it. A great homage to the novel, and fantastic as a stand-alone film, I recommend it. M. Douglas - Cinema-Repose

Note: The music playing in the trailer and the closing credits is Ai Otsuka's Renai Shashin. This song was composed for the movie and the director liked it so much he changed the Japanese name of the movie to match a line in the song: Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru. The OST and Renai Shashin are in the Mediafire folder. More music from Ai Otsuka here.