- The Taste of Tea
-
The Taste of Tea
(茶の味 Cha no Aji)
The Taste of Tea posterDirected by Katsuhito Ishii Produced by Kazuto Takida
Kazutoshi WadakuraWritten by Katsuhito Ishii Starring Tadanobu Asano
Takahiro Sato
Maya Banno
Satomi Tezuka
Tomokazu Miura
Tatsuya Gashuin
Anna Tsuchiya
Rinko KikuchiMusic by Little Tempo Cinematography Kosuke Matushima Editing by Katsuhito Ishii Distributed by Grasshoppa (Japan)
Viz Media (USA)Release date(s) July 17, 2004 Running time 143 min. Country Japan Language Japanese The Taste of Tea (茶の味 Cha no Aji ) is the third film by Japanese writer and director Katsuhito Ishii. The film has been referred to as a "surreal" version of Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander. It was a selection of the Cannes Film Festival.[1]
Contents
Synopsis
The film is concerned with the lives of the Haruno family, who live in rural Tochigi Prefecture, the countryside north of Tokyo. Nobuo is a hypnotherapist. He teaches his son, Hajime, Go. Hajime becomes an excellent Go player, but he has a rough time with girls and puberty. Yoshiko refuses to be an average housewife, and works on animated film projects at home. She uses assistance from Grandfather Akira, an eccentric old man who is a former animator and occasional model. Eight year old Sachiko periodically sees a silent, giant-sized double of herself which mimics or benignly watches her. She contemplates ways to rid herself of it. Uncle Ayano is a sound engineer and record producer who comes to stay for a visit. He engages in inward reflection, seeks closure regarding an old relationship, and recounts a childhood experience- a tale which influences Sachiko and ties into later events.
- Tomokazu Miura ... Nobuo Haruno - father
- Satomi Tezuka ... Yoshiko Haruno - mother
- Maya Banno ... Sachiko Haruno - daughter
- Takahiro Sato ... Hajime Haruno - son
- Tadanobu Asano ... Ayano Haruno - uncle
- Tatsuya Gashuin ... Akira Todoroki - grandpa
- Tomoko Nakajima ... Akira Terako
- Ikki Todoroki ... Himself
- Anna Tsuchiya ... Aoi Suzuishi
- Kenichi Matsuyama ... Matsuken/The man in the red shirt
Awards
- Audience Award - 2004, Entrevues Film Festival
- Grand Prix - 2004, Entrevues Film Festival
- Best Feature Film - 2004, Hawaii International Film Festival
- Best New Actress (Anna Tsuchiya) - 2004, Hochi Film Awards
- Orient Express Award - 2004, Festival de Cine de Sitges (Special Mention)
- Audience Award - 2005, Dejima Japanese Film Festival
- Best Asian Film - 2005, Fant-Asia Film Festival
- Fantasia Ground-Breaker Award - 2005, Fant-Asia Film Festival (3rd Place)
- Audience Award - 2005, New York Asian Film Festival
- Best New Actress (Anna Tsuchiya) - 2005 Kinema Junpo Awards
- New Talent Award (Anna Tsuchiya) - 2005, Mainichi Film Award
- Festival Prize - 2005, Yokohama Film Festival
Reference
- ^ "Midnight Eye interview: Rinko Kikuchi". http://www.midnighteye.com/interviews/rinko_kikuchi.shtml. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
Sources
- "茶の味" (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/2004/eb002810.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
External links
- Official website
- Review, Poster and Trailer
- The Taste of Tea (茶の味 Cha no Aji) at the Internet Movie Database
Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl (1999) · The Taste of Tea (2004) · Funky Forest (2005) · Smuggler (2011)
Categories:- 2004 films
- Japanese films
- Japanese-language films
- Katsuhito Ishii films
- 2000s Japanese film stubs
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