The Taste of Tea


The Taste of Tea is a 2004 Japanese comedy drama fantasy film written and directed by Katsuhito Ishii. Described as a "surreal" version of Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander, it follows the daily lives of a family living in rural Tochigi prefecture, north of Tokyo. Main influences for the director were the magical realism of Nobuhiko Obayashi, the unexpected humor of Takeshi Kitano, the eccentric surrealism of Seijun Suzuki and the daily life medium-class stories of Yasujiro Ozu. Ishii was It was a selection of the Cannes Film Festival.
WWW ttt-movie.com

Synopsis

The film follows the lives of the Haruno family, who live in rural Tochigi Prefecture, the countryside north of Tokyo. Nobuo is a hypnotherapist. He teaches Go to his son Hajime. 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-size 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 that influences Sachiko and ties into later events.

Reception

The Taste of Tea has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 77/100 weighted average on Metacritic. It was also one of Ed Park's choices in the 2012 Sight & Sound critics' poll of the greatest films ever made.

Awards