
TEA TIME. In director Katsuhito Ishii’s The Taste of Tea, Sachiko
(Maya Banno) doesn’t know how to deal with her giant doppelgänger. (Photo
courtesy of Viz Pictures)
From The Asian Reporter, V17, #14 (April 3, 2007), page 15.
A taste of eccentricity
The Taste of Tea
Directed by Katsuhito Ishii
Produced by Hilo Iizumi, Kazuto Takida, and Kazutoshi
Wadakura
Distributed by Viz Pictures, Inc.
By Toni Tabora-Roberts
If you’re looking for an action-packed, fast-paced, plot-driven thriller,
then look elsewhere. If you are up for an adventure in the unusual, check
out this leisurely (and sometimes fantastical) exploration of a quirky
family living in the country.
The Taste of Tea is the third feature by Japanese writer/director
Katsuhiro Ishii. His earlier films Sharkskin Man & Peach Hip Girl
(1999) and Party 7 (2000) were both box-office hits in Japan and
established him as an artist with a creative, eccentric point-of-view.
Ishii’s work became more familiar to American audiences when he collaborated
with Quentin Tarantino for the animated sequence in Tarantino’s epic Kill
Bill, Vol. 1.
As the film opens, we first meet Hajime, an awkward teenage boy who is a
hopeless romantic with a penchant for dramatic cycling through the beautiful
countryside. His young sister, Sachiko, is pensive and often perplexed,
longingly trying to figure out how to deal with the larger-than-life version
of herself that keeps following her around. It sounds strange, but that’s
just one of the whimsical elements of this film.
Next we catch a glimpse of Grandpa, who seems very much like a manga
(Japanese comic) character with wild hair, a unibrow, and a seemingly
choreographed, graceful way of moving. Mom, Yoshiko, is a quietly obsessive
animator trying to get back into the business. Dad, Nobuo, seems normal at
first, but then turns out to be a professional hypnotist. Rounding out the
Haruno family is Yoshiko’s brother, Ayano, a slacker musician-type who is
staying with them while he works through a bad case of heartbreak.
Eventually we meet some other strange characters including Nobuo’s brother,
an eccentric manga artist, as well as Aio, a new girl at Hajime’s school and
the latest object of his affection.
In Ishii’s bizarre world, manga characters appear on subways, floating
heads and flowers fill the sky, and people stare into the countryside for
what seems like hours. The film’s moments unfold slowly, allowing us to
observe characters almost in real time. The plot is relatively thin and
sometimes preposterous, but in a charming, understated fashion. At times it
feels like the weird characters barely engage with each other, instead
preoccupied with their own pursuits. Eventually, though, it starts to feel
oddly familiar and endearing, in that way that your own family might feel.
It’s a reminder that, although we may seem somewhat normal to the outside
world, we’re all at least a little strange when it comes down to it.
The Taste of Tea is a bit long, over two hours, but it’s worth
hanging in there. You’ll meet some interesting, funny characters and enjoy
some enchanting visual candy. The film opens on Friday, April 6 at the
Hollywood Theatre, located at 4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd. in Portland. For more
information, call (503) 281-4215 or visit <www.hollywoodtheatre.org>.
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