7/10
SVT Play in Aug 2020. A low-key, sweet and a bit moving, but beautiful story. And I who thought leprosy as a disease was eradicated... A Japanese-French-German co-production.
I don't know about you, but I love a good movie about food. And for some reason, though I'm often mystified at what the menu might actually taste like, Asian films that fall into this genre are often my favorites. In the case of Naomi Kawase's Sweet Bean, a sad man (Masatoshi Nagase) takes on a elderly woman (Kirin Kiki giving an incredibly naturalistic performance) at his dorayaki stand and she changes his life around with her love of food. The old woman, Tokue, has a kind of empathy not just with the beans she cooks so lovingly, but with all of nature, extending the film's message to a more universal scope. Whatever you do, do it with love and communion with its elements. When the store's owner threatens their partnership, can the man give up on the person that is the source of his tasty bean paste, and more importantly, of his new-found pride? The movie doesn't go where you think it will. Sweet Bean is very much that: Sweet. Sweet and charming. Sad too, but rousing and triumphant as well. Again, no idea what dorayaki tastes like, but I want to try some.
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Comments 1 - 6 of 6
Persona14
Fantastic film! It's sincere but still massive. It also has a nice touch of humor and hope within its sadness.Asiklassi
A beautiful, slow paced - yet level headed - film about the "little" things in life that sadly are often over looked.Emiam
7/10SVT Play in Aug 2020. A low-key, sweet and a bit moving, but beautiful story. And I who thought leprosy as a disease was eradicated... A Japanese-French-German co-production.
monty
AKA Sweet BeanSiskoid
I don't know about you, but I love a good movie about food. And for some reason, though I'm often mystified at what the menu might actually taste like, Asian films that fall into this genre are often my favorites. In the case of Naomi Kawase's Sweet Bean, a sad man (Masatoshi Nagase) takes on a elderly woman (Kirin Kiki giving an incredibly naturalistic performance) at his dorayaki stand and she changes his life around with her love of food. The old woman, Tokue, has a kind of empathy not just with the beans she cooks so lovingly, but with all of nature, extending the film's message to a more universal scope. Whatever you do, do it with love and communion with its elements. When the store's owner threatens their partnership, can the man give up on the person that is the source of his tasty bean paste, and more importantly, of his new-found pride? The movie doesn't go where you think it will. Sweet Bean is very much that: Sweet. Sweet and charming. Sad too, but rousing and triumphant as well. Again, no idea what dorayaki tastes like, but I want to try some.burdenofhope
AKA An