Cha no aji

Wow, I just got finished watching this fantastic flick and I gotta say, it's well worth seeking out. Because of the comic book nihilism of his first two films, Ishii perhaps has been unfairly lumped in with the Tarantino-wannabe crowd. But Cha no Aji is sure to show those critics another side of a very talented director.

While I'm a fan of all three films, I think this movie is Ishii's best to date. It's got his trademark eccentric characters and meandering plot lines, but here he takes his flights of creative fancy to new heights. In categorizing this film, if that is indeed possible, I am reminded of the whimsical let-it-fly-ish-ness of Juzo Itami's more playful works.

Cha no Aji brings you in to the world of an unusually quirky family, whose actions at first seem not of this world. Before you are able to ask yourself what the hell is going, you're drawn in, following several strange story lines, which are just as out there as they are touching and human. Before you know it, the characters become a part of you and you're finding a little bit of yourself within each one. Yes, even the seemingly senile grandpa. (Just wait, you'll see.) This movie hits on many levels. It's touching. Hilarious. Bizarre (at times almost in a Hausu kinda way). Pregnant with ideas. And most importantly... inspired!

To top it off, the soundtrack is provided by the most excellent soca-flavored dub band Little Tempo, who have an impressive discography and are well worth checking out if good honest dub is your thing.

What a movie!

Ishii's first and second films were boisterous, flashy, colorful, and irreverent, but his mastery of editing, sound design, and narrative (not to mention the surprisingly touching romance at the heart of his debut, Sharkskin Man and Peach Hip Girl) suggested that behind all the fireworks is a real genius who truly loves and understands the medium of film, not just a flashy showman using his advertising experience to deliver 90 minutes of pretty looking entertainment. With Ishii's third film, the dreamlike, funny, occasionally absurd, and ultimately mournful Taste of Tea (best feature winner at the 2004 Hawaii International Film Festival) he tones things down a notch from his prior efforts and gets personal, telling the story of a single family rather than an ensemble of oddballs (though the family is admittedly a little weird). The result is wonderful. Touching, hilarious, beautiful, odd, and constantly surprising. If you weren't paying attention during some of the moving and humane "slow" parts of Sharkskin Man, you might be shocked that Taste of Tea is from the same stylish hipster who once told an audience not to treat his first film like a cultural artifact but just to "enjoy the idiots on screen." Like Pierre Jeunet with Amelie, Ishii has demonstrated with Taste of Tea that there's real substance to be found under all that style. Absolutely not to be missed.

A truly beautiful film full of wonderful imagery and comic moments that made the almost 2 and a half hours fly past. It really needs to be seen in a cinema where you can totally integrate yourself in the atmosphere and you feel like a fly on the wall, watching the family and their situations without interrupting their flow. Visually nature plays a huge role, not just the human side of it (which is simple and uncomplicated) but the countryside, the river, the wind, the cherry blossoms, the rain etc etc. It really is beautifully filmed and the characters are all very touching, very funny and very normal really (except perhaps the psychedelic singing uncle),in their own quirky little ways. There isn't a real story line, we just follow the family over a seemingly short period of time. Some moments in the film may seem relevant and some may not, but they all do seem to fit in somewhere along the way and they are all such a pleasure to watch. I came out of the cinema feeling as though my karma was on a high and I still do.

It must be me. It seems that only Japanese filmmakers are able to find that light world where everything seems incidental, but every motion has cosmic force. So very many of these succeed.

And again, we have a simple family who we observe, but the thing tickles our notions of self- performance and art. The "narrator" is a little girl who is haunted by a giant image of herself who watches in silence (as do we) until she is able to perform a trick. The father is a hypnotist, the mother a film animator. The uncle, who lives with them is a sound editor and aspiring performer.

Key events: a game of go as teen seduction; that boy running until unable to breathe as the most extreme joy, joy in not having but expecting. The only kind of real joy, exhausting.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

The Taste of Tea tells a charming story of an unconventional Japenese family, the Haruno's, with characters as likable as they are eccentric; Hajime (Takahiro Sato), a shy teen with an unrequited love and a developing case of "female phobia." Sachiko (Maya Banno), a little girl with a 40 foot imaginary twin. Ayano (Tadanobu Asano), an uncle with his share of interesting stories. Grandpa Akira (Tatsuya Gashuin), a Manga posing old man with a unique spin on hide and seek. Taste of Tea features all these rich characters, as well as a psychiatrist father (Tomokazu Miura),an artistic mother (Satomi Tezuka), and an flamboyant uncle in a wide array of well-constructed vignettes that range from hilarious, to sad, to outright beautiful.

Leisurly paced, Director Ishii is in no hurry in telling the story(ies) of the Haruno's. At 143 minutes, Taste of Tea might test some people's patience, particularly those who watch Japanese films for the exploitative nature of Asian Cinema might be disappointed. But those who possess the fortitude, will be greatly rewarded by scenes such as hilarious "Mountain Song" and the Super Big Screening. However, the film's emotional payoff features one of the most bittersweet moments contained in any film, of any country. It is sure to move many viewers to tears... myself included.

As important as Ishii's direction, is the ensemble casts performance. Everyone does a great job here, particularly Asano, who steals any scene he's in (obviously), and Tatsuya Gashuin stands out as the wonderfully comical Grandpa. That being said, the sum of the whole is greater than it's parts, as everyone in this film is wonderfully casted and portrayed. There really aren't any week links in terms of acting, which helps create interesting, vibrant characters which is crucial to this type of film, and under Ishii's competent direction, the result is pure cinematic magic.

The cinematography and score are also integral to Taste of Tea and it doesn't disappoint. Achingly beautiful filmed landscape shots, combined with a subtle and reserved score help set the film's emotional nature. Constantly changing with the film, evolving as the characters grow and change. Cinematographer Kosuke Matushima and composer Tempo Little hold their own with Ishii's direction and the casts performances to create a touching film of immense beauty.

As quirky as it is brilliant, A Taste of Tea reminds the viewer of the beauty of life, family, and the awkward little moments we all endure, but never really truly appreciate till afterward. A masterpiece of Japanese cinema, Katsuhito Ishii cements his reputation as one of the most interesting directors of modern Japanese Celluloid. After directing the wildly entertaining Shark Skin Man, and the brilliant family drama Taste of Tea, one hopes we can expect wonderful things from him in the future.