The Taste of Tea
by Katsuhito Ishii
(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Maya Banno, Satomi Tezuka, Tadanobu Asano, Takahiro Sato, Tomokazu MiuraDirector: Katsuhito Ishii
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Japanese (Original Language)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 143 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-07-03
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: VIZ Pictures
Movie Reviews of The Taste of Tea
Movie Review: A Movie about "Nothing"...But There's Something!
Summary: 4 Stars
A movie about "Nothing"---but there is something. THE TASTE OF TEA is the handiwork of Katsushito Ishii, the director of the acclaimed cult hit "Party 7" and "Funky Forest: First Contact". Now, I'll go straight to the point, this film is about family, anime, a boy's young love, a young girl's journey through childhood, with very simple execution. If you're looking for a movie with a steadfast destination, then this movie may not be for you or if you want to use puns, not your cup of tea. However, this film is a grand display of Ishii's directorial skills, the man just knows how to tell a story and gets everything right.
A summer in the lives of the quirky Haruno clan, who passes the unhurried days trying to realize their ambitions. In a small town just North of Tokyo, a dedicated mother (Satomi Tezuka) attempts to revive her anime career with the aid of Grandpa who assumes the poses, her hypno-therapist hubby (Tomokazu Miura) has no choice but to back her decision and supports the family financially. Meanwhile, their eldest son (Takahiro Sato) feels the allure of teenage love and their 6 yr.-old daughter (Maya Banno) grapples with a pesky, gigantic doppelganger. Brother Asano (Tadanobu Asano) wants to be a successful sound mixer.
Remember the show "Seinfeld" that pronounces itself as a show about "nothing", well, Ishii has taken that phrase to the next level. The film's beauty is the manner on which it is structured with body languages, facial expressions and mumblings as its main vehicle in expressing its ideas. While its main premise is simple, it has the uncanny ability to say a lot without even saying a word. From the young girl who plays peek-a-boo with Grandpa, to the times when the teenager plays "Go" with his father and Uncle while the mother discusses posture and cool stances for her anime feature. A lot of it are "little things", sequences of everyday family matters but the film expresses a lot through its whimsical and episodic style. The word "Mosaic" is truly fitting for this film, since it is truly composed of diverse elements and formulas.
There's a Yakuza ghost with feces on his head whose tale is told by the boy's uncle, the giant egg, the goal of the "perfect" back flip, all these factors contribute to the family's amazing chemistry through interaction. The characters are so interesting and their characteristics mesh so well that if you take away one, the other characters would have to react differently. This is truly a great sign of excellent storytelling, when the characters take a life of their own and the plot (or lack of) can really breath. The family has become one breathing entity because of its direction.
The film is not a drama; nothing really major happens but it promotes an emotional reaction. It is not a comedy, yet, I found myself laughing quite a lot from its sequences. The film is not really telling a tale but it is more about memoirs, reflections and the clan's everyday routine. It's a bit long at 2 hours and 17 minutes, but with its eccentric characters and meandering storyline, the film will envelope you with its charm and its bright whimsical humor will undoubtedly put a smile on your face and will keep you locked in for its entirety. Even with its slower-paced moments, Ishii will draw you in with its warmth and joyful emulation will never bore you.
"The Taste of Tea" is rightfully named. Sometimes bizarre and odd, whimsical and episodic, with subtleties about life's meaning. To some Tea tastes flat and just tastes like flavored water, to some its variety of flavors add a lot of satisfaction to our taste buds. Tea can also be sometimes sweet and at the same time bitter. The film's execution has plenty of capacity for humor, and its humor is universal and won't get lost in its translation. "The Taste of Tea" is about Life's fulfillment, that lies in the pursuit of individual goals and these goals need not be huge or life-changing to provide a feeling of joy. Happiness is in the little things and appreciation for things we usually ignore is what true fulfillment is really about.
[...]
Summary of The Taste of Tea
Meet the Harunos, a rather unconventional, but happy and loving family nonetheless. They live in a small town in the mountains just out of Tokyo where life is good and quiet - but that doesn't mean they don't have their own little problems.As 8-year old Sachiko (Maya Banno) tries to get rid of a giant version of herself who seems to pop up everywhere, her older brother Hajime (Takahiro Sato), privately wrestles with his love-struck heart. Meanwhile, their mother Yoshiko (Satomi Tezuka) is working hard, coming out of retirement as an animator, as her husband and professional hypnotist Nobuo (Tomokazu Miura) watches on with slight apprehension. Yoshiko's brother, Ayano (Tadanobu Asano) is just visiting his hometown and staying with the family, but also has ashidden agenda; he needs to come to terms with a romance that ended years ago. Even Nobuo's brother and successful manga artist Todoroki has his problems. It's his birthday soon and he wants to give himself something special. And lastly there's Grandpa, the most bizarre and perhaps the most perceptive of all, who continues to search for a better way to live life to the full.
Written, directed and edited by Katsuhito ISHII, The Taste of Tea is a unique and gentle family portrait tackling the universal themes of time, people and their lives.
Like Ozu's Tokyo Story, The Taste of Tea takes the long view of a Japanese family, though the eccentric Harunos are unconcerned with the moral quandaries Ozu's characters typically face. Director Katsuhito Ishii, known in America for his animated sequence in Kill Bill Pt. 2, gives the viewer a comedic slice of life in this artistic family's rural village. With a mother reentering the animation business, a musical grandfather conceptually akin to Yoko Ono, and a hypnotist father, siblings Hajime (Takahiro Sato) and Sachiko (Maya Banno) have the mental freedom to roam deep into imagined worlds that comprise the film's core. Hajime's infatuation with a girl at school becomes an obsession that bears fruit due to his commitment to meeting her. Sachiko's giant ghost follows her, leading her to believe that if she can master a back flip on the gym bars that she will scare the ghost away. The Taste of Tea relies upon odd, awkward moments of reflection or confusion. Hajime isn't sure what to make of his Uncle Ayano's (Tadanobu Asano) story involving a chicken egg in the forest. Similarly, Sachiko runs for her life when a man emerges out of the mud next to her. The absurdity in the narrative is underscored by visual impossibilities, for example a train rushing out of Hajime's head, and other bizarre live-action animation. Interestingly, each character's dilemma is based on external forces. Tensions between family members are non-existent in The Taste of Tea, reinforcing the idea that artistic minds must stick together in an increasingly unpredictable world. --Trinie Dalton
Art House & International DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in DEAR BLACK DRAGON,...
Hagakure: The Book of theby Yamamoto Tsunetomo
Kodansha International; Published: 2002-08-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.25
Price in other shops:
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiyaby Nagaru Tanigawa, Noizi Ito
Yen Press; Published: 2008-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.79
Price in other shops:
Essays in Idlenessby Yoshida Kenko
Cosimo Classics; Published: 2005-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.64
Price in other shops:
Time Slip (aka GI Samurai) Two-Disc Special EditionDVD; Release date: 2008-04-08; DVD
Best price: $10.92
Price in other shops:
TampopoRelease date: 2005-05-22; DVD
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
Strawberry Marshmallow - Ichigo Mashimaro, Vol. 3: Winter AdventuresRelease date: 2006-10-03; DVD
Best price: $16.43
Price in other shops:
Urusei Yatsura - Movie 2 - Beautiful Dreamer(Collector's Series)Release date: 2004-06-08; DVD
Best price: $17.98
Price in other shops:
FireworksRelease date: 2000-06-27; DVD
Best price: $65.00
Death Note (The Live Action Movie) DVDPublished: 2006; DVD
Best price: $9.97
Love: And Other Stories of Yokomitsu Riichiby Riich Yokomitsu
Columbia University Press; Published: 1979-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
Hana & Alice (Widescreen)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2007-07-10; DVD
Best price: $16.13
Price in other shops:
Lust, Caution (Widescreen, NC-17- Rated Edition)UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.; Release date: 2008-02-19; DVD
Best price: $12.98
Price in other shops:
Ping PongRelease date: 2007-09-04; DVD
Best price: $16.46
Price in other shops:
Shall We Dance?Release date: 2005-02-01; DVD
Best price: $8.05
Price in other shops:
PaprikaHAYASHIBARA,MEGUMI; Release date: 2007-11-27; DVD
Best price: $12.72
Price in other shops:
Funky Forest: The First Contact (Sub)SIMON & SCHUSTER C/O VIZ MEDIA LLC; Release date: 2008-03-18; DVD
Best price: $19.15
Price in other shops:
Kamikaze GirlsRelease date: 2006-01-10; DVD
Best price: $15.44
Price in other shops:
Hula GirlsSIMON & SCHUSTER C/O VIZ MEDIA LLC; Release date: 2007-11-06; DVD
Best price: $19.17
Price in other shops:
Train Man : Densha OtokoRelease date: 2007-02-06; DVD
Best price: $15.53
Price in other shops:
Linda Linda LindaRelease date: 2007-05-08; DVD
Best price: $15.39
Price in other shops: