March 10, 2016

An (Alternate title: Sweet Red Bean Paste)

Cherry blossoms are one of the most identifiable Japanese images.  They appear in An lining the streets to a small dorayaki (pancake) stall, leading a determined elderly woman to its door.

We know little about the old woman, Tokue, until the other characters learn about her. We see more of Wakana, a school girl, and Sentaro, the "boss" who runs the dorayaki stand, than we ever do of Tokue though it is her story. Tokue pushes the other characters into action by simply being her own genuine, sweet self.

Unlike western cinema this is a quiet film - there are no explosions, chases or kisses either. But it still manages to be deeply moving. Sentaro's lack of emotion, his plodding through life morphs into tears and a pure joy beneath the cherry blossoms at the close of the movie.

Release Date: 17 March
See it at Lighthouse Cinemas

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