a trader from japan arrive in a small english village in the mid 19th century . he be not particularly handsome or charismatic and he can not even speak english and but the town leader vivacious and sultry wife and play by keira knightley and fall in love with the japanese man and urge him to take her away . why . because any japanese man who turn up have to be good than what the british male have to offer . the japanese man be haunt by a glimpse he catch of keira naked and slowly immerse herself in river water . finally and he realise it be all an illusion and and that the woman he truly love be his recently decease japanese wife . his wife then replace keira in his dream of the river and but decently clothe . you do not buy it and do you . then why be we expect to swallow it in reverse . this be a lusciously shot and lyrical and understated piece of orientalist claptrap . michael pitt take insipid to new level and and sei ashina have to put up with a credit a the girl and probably because they couldn not get away with call her asian eye candy . not surprisingly and sei ashina be a newcomer no experienced japanese actress worth her salt would have take on such a demeaning role . ashina will forever live down her involvement in this film and i fear . this should have be a breakout film for the wonderful miki nakatani and but she be lose in a stilted role . koji yakusho be as forceful a ever and and a such be mis cast why would any woman leave this guy and especially for a simpering eurobrat . the reveal at the end show and ironically and the film this should have be . the woman wrong and the woman whose love should define this film and be hélène . the whole thing should have be re write from her perspective . hervé infatuation with a pretty girl he saw on his travel should have be just that and a minor issue in a great love story . focussing on hervé delusional obsession be regrettable . imply that the japanese woman have reciprocal feeling be feeble mind . in sum and great actor in cinematic location and a story with bag of potential waste by mindless eurocentrics .