Fear and Trembling (film)

Fear and Trembling (original title: Stupeur et Tremblements) is a 2003 French film based on the novel of the same name by Amélie Nothomb. The film was written and directed by Alain Corneau and stars Sylvie Testud.

Fear and Trembling
Film poster
Stupeur et Tremblements
Directed by	Alain Corneau
Produced by	Alain Sarde
Screenplay by	Alain Corneau
Based on	Fear and Trembling by Amélie Nothomb
Starring	Sylvie Testud Kaori Tsuji Taro Suwa Bison Katayama
Cinematography	Yves Angelo
Edited by	Thierry Derocles
Distributed by	Bac Films
Release date	12 March 2003 (2003-03-12)
Running time	107 minutes
Country	France
Language	Japanese French
Budget	€5.3 million[1]
Box office	$2.3 million[2]

Plot

Amélie, a young Belgian woman (Sylvie Testud), having spent her childhood in Japan, decides to return to live there and try to integrate into Japanese society. She is determined to be a "real Japanese" before her one year contract runs out, though it is precisely this determination that is incompatible with Japanese humility. Though she is hired for a choice position as a translator at an import/export firm, her inability to understand Japanese cultural and business norms and allocation to work for which she is not suited result in increasingly humiliating demotions.

Though Amelie secretly adores her immediate supervisor, Ms Mori (Kaori Tsuji), the latter takes sadistic pleasure in belittling Amelie. Mori finally manages to break Amelie's will by making her the bathroom attendant, and is delighted when Amelie tells her that she will not renew her contract. Amelie realizes that she is finally a real Japanese when she enters the company president's office "with fear and trembling," which was possible only because her determination had been broken by Mori's systematic humiliation.

The title, "Fear and Trembling", is said in the film to be the way Japanese must behave when addressing the Emperor. For Westerners, it calls to mind a line from Philippians 2:12, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling", which could also describe Amélie's attitude during her year at Yumimoto.

"Fear and Trembling" (original Danish title: Frygt og Bæven) is also a philosophical work by Søren Kierkegaard, published in 1843 under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio (John of the Silence). The title is a reference to a line from Philippians 2:12, "...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." — itself a probable reference to Psalms 55:5,[1] "Fear and trembling came upon me..."

Cast

• Sylvie Testud as Amélie
• Kaori Tsuji as Fubuki
• Taro Suwa as Mr. Saito
• Bison Katayama as Mr. Omochi
• Yasunari Kondo as Mr. Tenshi
• Sokyu Fujita as Mr. Haneda
• Gen Shimaoka as Mr. Unaji
• Heileigh Gomes as young Amélie
• Eri Sakai as young Fubuki

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91%, based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "This tale of culture clash is by turns downbeat and hilarious."[3] On Metacritic the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote that though there are moments in the film which seem well observed, there are also times when the film slips toward stereotyping.[5]

Accolades

Award / Film Festival	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result
César Awards	Best Actress	Sylvie Testud	Won
	Best Writing	Alain Corneau	Nominated
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival	Best Actress	Sylvie Testud	Won
	Special Mention		Won
	Crystal Globe		Nominated
Lumières Awards	Best Actress	Sylvie Testud	Won

References

1. "Stupeur et tremblements". JP's Box-Office.
2. "Fear and Trembling". Box Office Mojo.
3. "Stupeur et tremblements (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes.
4. "Fear and Trembling". Metacritic.
5. "Help Wanted: Young, Naïve Masochist". The New York Times.

External links

• Fear and Trembling on IMDb