Watch The Goddess of 1967

The Goddess of 1967 is a visually stunning Australian film, released in 2000, that tells the story of a young Australian woman who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and healing as she travels to Tokyo to buy a rare, vintage car. The film stars up-and-coming actress Rose Byrne in one of her earliest roles, alongside Japanese actor Rikiya Kurokawa and Australian actor Nicholas Hope. The film's narrative is nonlinear, with scenes flitting back and forth in time as Byrne's character, known only as "BG," reflects on her past and her present. At the beginning of the film, BG is dealing with the recent suicide of her father, who left her with a sizable inheritance. She decides to spend some of that money on a turquoise 1967 Citroen DS that she's seen advertised in a Tokyo newspaper. As she flies to Japan, she pens a series of letters to her father, trying to process her grief and make sense of her relationship with him. Once BG arrives in Tokyo, the film takes on an almost dreamlike quality as she navigates the neon-lit streets and encounters a cast of offbeat characters. She eventually meets Kurokawa's character, a blind, reclusive writer named Miyamoto who lives in a cluttered apartment and communicates only through a computer voice. Miyamoto is also the owner of the Citroen that BG has come to buy, and the two of them strike up an unlikely friendship as she tries to persuade him to sell her the car. As BG spends more time in Tokyo, she is forced to confront not only her grief over her father's death but also her own past. We see glimpses of her earlier life in Australia, including a troubled relationship with an older man (played by Nicholas Hope) who is now stalking her in Japan. BG struggles with the weight of her own emotional baggage as she navigates her new surroundings, and the film's gorgeous visuals, including saturated colors and stylized shots of the car and the city, serve to heighten the dreamlike, almost surreal quality of the story. One of the film's most powerful themes is the idea of connection and communication, and the many ways in which people can fail to understand each other. BG and Miyamoto cannot even speak the same language, yet they are able to forge a bond through their shared interest in the car and their mutual experiences of loss. Miyamoto's blindness serves as a metaphor for the emotional blindness that afflicts many of the film's characters, including BG herself, as they struggle to make sense of their own feelings and connect with those around them. The Goddess of 1967 is a unique and compelling film that expertly blends elements of drama, mystery, and surrealism. Director Clara Law's skillful use of imagery and sound, as well as the standout performances by Byrne, Kurokawa, and Hope, make this a film that lingers in the mind long after the credits have rolled. While the complex storyline and nonlinear structure may be off-putting to some viewers, those willing to take the journey with BG as she confronts her past and finds unexpected connections in Tokyo will be rewarded with a truly memorable cinematic experience.