MOVIE: SWEET BEAN

i saw SWEET BEAN last night on a netflix DVD. it's a japanese film from 2015, with a female writer/director (still worth noting, alas) and it was extraordinary. food, specifically, a sweet bean paste used to fill the japanese snack pancakes called dorayaki, plays a central role in this film, but this isn't a movie about food. the simple plot revolves around a man whose snack stall sells only one product, dorayaki; but a very mediocre version. when an old woman begs for a job making a much better version of the sweet bean paste filling, the story starts. this is a slow moving character study of the man, the woman, and a young student who hangs out at the snack stall. the old woman's backstory (which i can't reveal without spoiling the plot) is incredibly touching and the relationships that develop among these three drives the entire movie. stay away if action, violence, super heroes or special effects are important- as none of those are here. but this is was a movie i'll never forget: the old woman, played by a veteran actor named kirin kiki, will linger on in my mind long after i forget most of what i've seen on tv or the movies. i highly recommend this film.

The Lovely Dining Companion and I watched this a couple weeks ago and also enjoyed it a great deal. It's not a great film but it is very touching and well-made. We'd also recommend it.