Movie Review: An directed by Naomi Kawase, Riff Raff, Zurich

Dec
2015

23. December 2015

Being a star blogger with a massive, high quality fan base comes with dozens of perks. Lavish dinners, free booze, surprise visits by women with loose morals,… that kind of thing. Being a man with rigid principles and the highest ethical standards I always decline. But there was one exception, I was invited to see a movie and I accepted. Slightly strange to show up at a movie theater in the morning.

The minimalistic title “An” gives an indication of its Japanese origin. Directed by Naomi Kawase the film’s about a guy running a Dorayaki shop. Dorayaki are a form of pancackes with sweet red bean paste in between them. The red bean paste is also called “An” hence explaining the title of the movie. One day an elderly lady approachs the shop and asks about an advertised job. She’s rejected at first, but manages to convince the proprietor with her fantastic red bean paste. But you can read up more of this on the official page.

I loved the movie for two reasons. First I learned about Dorayaki and it’s preparation. The perfection and attention to detail is one of the key strengths of japanese cuisine. Taking a vast amount of time just to make it that tad extra perfect is shown here. It reminds me of the old saying in restaurants, that it’s the guest that should wait for the soup and not the soup for the guest.

Secondly it’s a great story of an uneven friendship. There’s a bittersweet touch, but I’d argue that just like in a complex dish you’d aim for balance of different flavours and technique and avoid a one note creation. Overall I was touched and thought it was a beautiful movie. Walking out of the cinema something must have flown into my eye because it was slightly more watery than normal… It seems I’ve become a sucker for heart-warming movies… but I guess that’s my whole point here – the story (even though it takes place during the cherry blossom season) fits perfectly into the Christmas season. And with that – Merry Christmas to my dear readers!

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