26/42
Synopsis
Tatsuo and his daughter Haru run the Takano Tofu shop in Onomichi
When Tatsuo learns he’s sick, he worries about his daughter being left alone and unwittingly sets out to find Haru a partner. While the plot could fill (and has filled) many a family drama, here, with the magnetic presence of veteran Tatsuya Fuji ( Empire of the Senses ),…
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Director/screenwriter Mitsuhiro Mihara’s 2023 wistful father-daughter drama is a bit too intrusive to compare to Yasujiro Ozu’s classic family dramas. In a story centered on Tatsuo, an aged tofu master in Onomichi, and his exceptionally devoted daughter Haru, Mihara clearly references Ozu’s “Late Spring” and “Early Summer” to capture the specifics of their close relationship.
The zany moments feel like they’re from a different movie than the one intended
The plot moves along slowly as everyone eventually finds potential partners, but not until the requisite number of comedic scenes with the stock characters are played out quite extensively. Regardless, veteran screen actor Tatsuya Fuji plays Tatsuo with grumpy enthusiasm, while Kumiko Aso provides attentive support as Haru.
For a film with a similar sensibility about the art behind uniquely Japanese food, I suggest watching Naomi Kawase’s 2015 film An (Sweet Bean)
Fuji’s scenes with Kumi Nakamura as a sick old woman were touching, although the atomic bomb connection seemed artificial to squeeze more pathos into the film.
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