Cha no aji

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.

Note: I am your classic American teenager, I love violent movies. So naturally I was one to show reluctance when a friend suggested that we go see this movie at the NYC underground Asian film festival. Needless to say from my summary I was not disappointed.

The first thing to say is I can not think of any other movie that is anything like this movie and although I did insult myself before I have quite good taste in movie and by violence I was more or less leaning towards Pulp Fiction and Clockwork Orange. A taste of tea is simply about a family. Each character in the family has a little conflict, and as any movie the conflict attempts to be resolved as the movie goes on. They aren't eccentric conflicts at first glance, but as the movie continues the complexity grows. Their stories are not very intertwined except for the fact that it is all the same family. Nevertheless there are moments that want to bring you to tears.

Despite all this I would not call the movie sappy to the least bit. The movie is full of crazy imagery and at the same time is quite comical. To say the least its light hearted. But during countless scenes the audience would burst out in laughter.

To finish up, this movie is an absolute must see. Find it, buy it, rent it, watch it. In an age where it is almost impossible to find a good movie I am surprised that this movie did not surface long ago.

Really fantastic! Ishii offers us a great moment of dream, with humor, absurdity and poetry. Some kind of Non Identified Movie that you quite don't see any more. Everything is built around a little girl getting exhausted by her giant imaginary double. She has a manga-designer mother, a reserved father, a fist-in-love brother, a nut grandfather and a mysterious uncle. This delirious and particular family will follow its path through more than two hours of slow poetry, giving the audience a wonderful time. Don't miss it if you have any chance of watching it, you'll be dreaming in a theater!

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.

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.