THE TASTE OF TEA

Cha No Aji

Yet another plotless and drawn out movie to grace this site, but not to worry, this one is different. It's a beautifully quaint look into the life of an urban family living amongst rice fields and farms in a quiet countryside home. While failing to communicate with each other, they have personal issues that they try to work out individually. Taste of Tea grasps some kind of essence, stillness perhaps, that a lot of people lack in the hubbub of activity in their lives. Perfect if you're in the mood for peace and quite. The movie contains a series of anecdotes that don't really contribute to a bigger picture, but each one is entertaining and life-affirming. So don't expect a clean cut story that leads you somewhere. Some things that irk me though, it's unnecessarily long and a few scenes just linger awkwardly.

Directed by the guy who did the animation sequences in "Kill Bill", The Taste Of Tea is about the life of a family living in rural Tochigi prefecture. The story begins with Hajima, the son, trying to get over the fact that he never said anything to the girl he liked. Ayano (Tadanobu Asano) is the uncle who visits the fam and tries to get his life together. Hajima's sister, Sachiko is dealing with her vivid imagination, as she tries to get rid of a giant version of herself that follows her around. The film is basically about how the whole family deals with each of their individual problems.

The characters are finely tuned and the actors never step out of their element, particularly Hajime. His development was very realistic and you could easily identify with his ups and downs in life. Another great thing was the humor, the comedic timing was perfect and it was never dull or dry. The peaceful scenery and beautifully shot locales create a serene atmosphere that gives both a sense of isolation and omni essence. Aside from an actual plot, Taste of Tea's emotional journey has similar elements to Kikujiro, but it plays out at a very realistic and sometimes meditative pace.

Director: Katsuhito Ishii
Genre: Comedy Drama
Year: 2004
Rating: 6.5/8
On DVD at YesAsia