The Taste of Tea

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 (1982). It was a selection of the Cannes Film Festival.[1]

The Taste of Tea
(茶の味 Cha no Aji)
The Taste of Tea poster
Directed byKatsuhito Ishii
Produced byKazuto Takida
Kazutoshi Wadakura
Written byKatsuhito Ishii
StarringTadanobu Asano
Takahiro Sato
Maya Banno
Satomi Tezuka
Tomokazu Miura
Tatsuya Gashuin
Anna Tsuchiya
Rinko Kikuchi
Music byLittle Tempo
CinematographyKosuke Matushima
Edited byKatsuhito Ishii
Distributed byGrasshoppa (Japan)
Viz Media (USA)
Release date
July 17, 2004
Running time
143 min.
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

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-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.

Cast

Reception

The Taste of Tea has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes[2] and a 77/100 weighted average on Metacritic.[3] It was also one of Ed Park's choices in the 2012 Sight & Sound critics' poll of the greatest films ever made.[4]

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
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References
  1. "Midnight Eye interview: Rinko Kikuchi". Retrieved 2007-02-14.
  2. The Taste of Tea (Cha no aji), retrieved 2017-11-10
  3. The Taste of Tea, retrieved 2017-11-10
  4. "Ed Park | BFI". www.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-11-10.

Sources


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