Customer Reviews

Cherry Blossoms [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Cherry Blossoms," directed by Doris Dorrie, is quite simply, the most exquisitely beautiful and wise film I have ever experienced. It surprised me, going in directions I had not forseen, with a freshness and fierceness of love that is as provocative as it is deeply moving. You traverse with the main character, a man who has lived a safely routine, dull life and live with him a transformative, spiritual journey that is beyond the usual cliches, so often played in Hollywood movies. It is simultaneously raw and subtle in it's vision of the true wonder of life and the possibility of really opening to the depths of being. I don't want to give away any of the plot and I would emphasize not even reading the back jacket of the DVD package, nor any reviews that give away any of the plot. I, unfortunately, was not so lucky and the spoilers that are written alter one's experience of it. Better not to know anything of the plot. Yet even if one does read the plot beforehand, it is still an amazing, soul touching experience. This film was life altering for me and helped me in my own inner work and feeling about life, itself. "Cherry Blossoms" has been a blessing, and I have deep gratitude toward the director, who has obviously tapped into life's deepest, nurturing wells and underground springs.

When her husband is diagnosed with a terminal illness, a German woman named Trudi decides it's time the both of them paid a long overdue visit to their adult children - two of whom live in Berlin and one in Japan. The catch is that the husband, Rudi, doesn't even know he's sick and neither do the kids. Thus, Trudi must live with this horrible secret while putting on a brave face for those around her. But then a different, wholly unforeseen tragedy strikes the family and the movie heads off into an entirely new and utterly unanticipated direction from where we thought it was going.

A German movie set largely in Japan, "Cherry Blossoms" is a beautiful and heartbreaking film about living for the moment and of not putting off till tomorrow what you can do today. It's also marvelously perceptive about the dynamics of parent/child relationships, especially when, as is true in this case, the parents are viewed by their self-absorbed offspring more as burdens to be endured than blessings to be cherished. The irony is that Rudi and Trudi have more in common with - and indeed are treated better by - many of the strangers and casual acquaintances they come in contact with than they are by their own children.

But the movie is also an examination of marriage and of how partners can become so entwined with one another as a couple that they lose their identities as individuals, missing out on the dreams and goals they had for their lives when they were still young and unattached. This is certainly the case for Trudi, who has harbored a lifelong desire to take up Japanese dancing, a desire that Rudi, in his selfish indifference, has pretty much squelched in her for the duration of their marriage. Such a realization of lost opportunities can lead to regrets, recriminations and despair at the end of the road, yet in the case of Rudi and Trudi, one learns that lesson a little too late - and the other just in the nick of time.

Elmer Wepper and Hannelore Elsner are magnificent as the aged couple, superbly capturing the deep-seated but often unspoken love that each spouse has for the other. A fine supporting cast, led by Maximilian Bruckner as one of their sons and Aya Irizuki as a young street artist who befriends Rudi in his time of greatest need, adds to the movie`s richness. Another crucial element in the emotional force of the movie is the richly elegiac score by Claus Bantzer.

The glory of this exquisitely realized and profoundly moving film is its willingness to grapple with some truly major issues - of life and death, of sorrow and loss, of filial and marital relationships - without getting heavy-handed and preachy about it in the process. Every moment in this film feels real and unforced, yet the movie itself has the minutely worked-out grace and precision of Japanese performance art (which we see quite a bit of throughout the course of the film). In fact, near the end, there is a fantasy dance sequence that is, quite frankly, one of the most utterly spellbinding and breathtaking scenes I`ve come across in ages.

Masterfully directed by Doris Dorrie, "Cherry Blossoms" is a lyrical and unforgettable work that takes its place among the truly outstanding films of recent times.

'Cherry Blossoms' is a quiet film that sneaks into your heart and is so unpredictable in interesting ways. This film shows us the cultural differences between Japanese and German lives. This is a story of Trudi and Rudi, a Bavarian couple, and their grown children who have grown apart and find little time for their parents.

Trudi is called into their physician's office to be told that Rudi has a terminal disease, and she is asked if Rudi should be told. She does not respond, but we know her decision is 'no'. She is advised he has some time and a trip of their lifetime might be a good choice. Right away my hackles rose, how unethical- but as the film moves on I forgot this ethical lapse and fell into the story. Trudi talks hard working Rudi into visiting their two children in Berlin. Even though she would much prefer to visit their son, Karl in Japan. Trudi has had a life long yearning to study the Japanese dance, Butoh and to visit Mt. Fuji. But,l she has devoted her life to her husband and her children. Karl, it seems was her favorite and the other children lived with this knowledge. Off they go to Berlin instead, to find their children immersed in their own lives with no time for them. It is the lover of one of the children who makes the most time for them, and begins to understand Trudi as a woman not only a mother. Complications arise and soon Rudi finds that the woman he called his wife was also someone who had other interests. He visits Karl in Tokyo and once again it is someone outside the family who spends time with Rudi and understands the grief that has enveloped him. A young girl develops a friendship with him, and it is she who has studied Butho dancing and shows Rudi his expressive, artistic side.

The German filmmaker, Doris Dörrie has made a marvelous emotionally full film about this German couple. Trudi played by Hannelore Eisner and Rudi, played by Elmer Wrapper, grow on us. We can feel their bonds and the family issues; their children with busy lives without time for them. The title of the film, Cherry Blossoms, takes it name from the Tokyo blooms, that bloom for just a short time. We find that Rudi transforms and that the life he led with his wife, Trudi was indeed a special one, and in the end it is those we love that make our lives what they are.

A lovely film about love, life and death. The Japanese dance Butoh brings a special expression into this film that will resonate for a long time. The film is a travelogue in part and we get to visit the exquisite countries of Germany and Japan.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 08-02-09

Where Do We Go From Here?

Andrew Sarris (film critic of the New York Observer) called this the first "great" film of 2009 and it is hard to disagree. Although it is a German film, it is infused with an Asian, particularly a Japanese point of view. Central to the film is the Butoh dance which was developed as an abstract form of modern dance. It meant originally - dance of darkness. When first performed, the dance was a subversive art form but today it resembles expressionist modern dance - possibly influenced by the traditional Noh technique.

In content and in form, the film is a poem of love. When an elderly wife realizes her husband has only a short time to live, she keeps the information a secret but tries to get him involved with visiting the children (after a long absence) and beginning an adventure, completing the things he wanted to do most but left undone. It turns out that the wife dies first, unexpectedly. This momentous event causes the husband to re-examine his life and his relationships and to travel to Japan which his wife always wanted to do. And so he walks in his love's path and in doing so eventually become totally united with her soul.

The film is influenced by the well recognized Japanese film master Ozu - particularly his "Tokyo Story" - but I would say it ends on a more sublime note. In every way, the symbol of the "cherry blossom" which blooms for just a short period of time but is exceptionally beautiful when it does, is the hidden meaning of the story.

My Top 10 Film List seems to get a little more expansive each year, but CHERRY BLOSSOMS is definitely on it. It is profound in its simplicity. The Plot: Wife (Hannelore Elsner) discovers that her husband (Elmar Wepper) of many years is dying. He doesn't know it & she doesn't tell him. She manages to arrange a trip with their adult chirldren living in Berlin, although he would prefer to stay home. The children aren't informed about his condition. Wife dies unexpectedly. Husband is lost without her. He goes to visit son Karl who lives in Tokyo. Father hooks up with a young dancer. Karl assumes the worst.

Those are the bare bones.

What we learn about the relationships is where the more meaningful elements are revealed.

For one thing, we learn that the wife has a more or less hidden love of the Japanese performance/dance called Butoh (boo-toe). It is not clear how this transpired since, until recently, Butoh was not well known outside Japan. An understanding of Butoh is really helpful when viewing CHERRY BLOSSOMS, but not absolutely necessary. Key elements are illustrated by Tadashi Endo in a scene set in Berlin where the dancer is performing. The girl (Aya Irizuki) in Japan (who is rehearsing outdoors a performance involving a pink telephone with a long cord) is a dedicated Butoh performer as well.

The colors of pink, green & white are found everywhere in the movie, but subtly increase in intensity when the husband goes to Japan. I think I became aware of this only towards the end of the film, but when I watched the film again it was much more apparent. Naturally this represents the colors associated with "Cherry Blossom Time"--a sort of national event in Japan. I think the green symbolizes the leaves & the pink & white the flower. I also think white symbolizes death. It's interesting how this color scheme is naturally enhanced in Japan, in the neon lights of Tokyo, in the food, and the kimonos quests all wear in an informal hotel near Mt. Fuji.

As for Butoh, it emerged as a performance art in post-WWII Japan, partially as a reaction to the the restriction imposed on dancers by the traditional Nôh. There are 2 main types of Butoh. One is the basically non-movement variety, and the other that relies on agility and at least some familiarity with traditional dance, even ballet. The images portrayed are more often than not, visceral themes of death, blood--and eventual trandscendece. The artists are almost nude (with body paint) in many scenes. Elements of lighting & set are important & reflect post-WWI German expressionism. I believe it has influenced performers like Marilyn Manson, Madonna & others, and films like The Cell. It is distictly surrealistic.

When the wide goes to the Berlin performance, she tries to coach her husband, but he will not go. Instead he waits outside the theatre, staring at the walls with artistic graffeti. Clearly, he is a man set in ways, resistant to change. Be that as it may, that evening he watches as his wife begins to dance, and she finally gets him to do some movements with her. This scene was powerful because it showed just how devoted he was to her.

Their children don't undertand them, particularly him. There is residual resentment against him resulting from his rather aloof parenting. They resented that their mother was so solicitous In fact there is a strong suggestion that the lone daughter is a Lesbian, carrying on light-hearted dalliance with her sister-in-law (who is the only member of the immediate family who seems sympathetic to either parent.) With the death of their mother in Berlin, they don't know what to do with their father. He solves their dilemma by suddenly going to Tokyo to vistit the single son who lives there.

The father goes basically unannounced & definitely not invited. He takes a single suitcase with him. Among the few items in it are his wife's (cherry blossom) kimono, her (green) sweater, skirt and...all the money he has cleaned out from his bank account.

And here this review ends, I don't want to give any more away.

Well, two more things. The actress who plays the Butoh artist is absolutely wonderful. She appears to be a trained dancer & acts a messenger from the world of the living to the realm of the dead.

The sequence in Japan has a startling & perfectly cathartic conclusion.

Dancing Into Darkness: Butoh, Zen, and Japan
Kazuo Ohno's World: from without & within
Hijikata Tatsumi and Ohno Kazuo (Routledge Performance Practitioners)
The Body Speaks: Performance and Expression
Towards the Bowels of the Earth: Butoh Writhing in Perspectives
Of Another World: Dancing Between Dream and RealityThe Art of Stillness: The Theater Practice of Tadashi Suzuki

I loved this film. Normally I say 'movie' but this truly is a masterpiece film. It is about a happily married older couple. The wife finds out that the husband is dying (no spoiler here, it's on the box) and she ends up not telling him, trying to hold on to their normal routine and to visit their (selfish) children. Well, she ends up dying and he finally starts to really consider her, his wife. He wants to be closer to her, and to answer an important question...where is she now? While the film doesn't go into God and so forth, it reaches toward traditional Japanese beliefs, dance, expression...and Mt. Fuji.

Be sure to watch this when you have stillness in your home. It's first viewing is to be savored, even if you have to put off watching it for a few days. I watched it on Netflix instant..with my kids hollering in the background (I used a headset and watched it on my p.c.) and jumping around while they played Wii. Well, I wish I had watched it in my living room, with a glass of wine, my husband and the flatscreen!! This movie takes you there, to the feelings of this wife, then of this man. I couldn't help but think more couples should watch this, to avoid the feelings of 'too little too late'. I know my hubby and I plan to travel some day, I hope we make it :)

Watch this movie, it's a beautiful film with layers that you peel away slowly as you watch and long afterward.

As a poet, I was so moved by this film I could hardly breathe. This is what cinema as art is all about--catharsis. I am quite surprised other reviewers have not mentioned the quintessential role of the young woman playing the mysterious Japanese dancer, for she is the real center of the story. There are so many other things I could say, but I am still "in the movie" as it were. Simply A GREAT WORK OF ART!

Cherry Blossoms (2008) film by Doris Dorrie is a beautiful film, but can be painful to watch. But to feel pain or any extreme emotion, then the director has done her job. At over 2 hours, it didn't feel it unusually lengthy, because one becomes engrossed in the telling of a man so tormented by guilt over his wife's death. The story takes place in Germany, but for the latter part, the setting is Japan, with beautiful scenery, especially the cherry blossom trees.

It begins where a woman discovers her husband has a terminal illness and she encourages a visit to be with their children, two who live in Germany, and one in Tokyo. And immediately upon their arrival, we learn how disconnected they are to the children who don't go out of their way for them. You can feel this tension, discomfort, unsettling atmosphere. Suprisingly, it is the wife has departed this world. Her husband learns how she had desires, dreams, and a passion for Japan and Butoh dancing, dancing in white body makeup, slow movements, playful or grotesque imagery.

What follows after this death is the sad part, how an elderly man has succumbed to abnormalities in grief or dealing with guilt. It is painful to watch the odd behavior, the lonliness, coldness from family, the indignities, but beautiful to see how his quest evolves, and a endearing friendship with a street performer.

Casing Elmar Wepper as Rudi was a brilliant move. How much can you read on this man's face, the body language. His acting was wonderful, so very real.

Doris Dorrie is one of Germany's important female directors. I would encourage one to see two brothers journey in Enlightenment Guaranteed or Am I Beautiful?. However, surprising flop to me was Doris Dorrie's Men. ......Rizzo

I don't really want to spoil the film by revealing the plot, so I just want to say what I saw and felt in this film, which, to me, is the sublime in subtle films.

I've hardly given 5 stars with my reviews but this time I will, because this is an absolutely beautiful film, and one of the best European (German) films I've ever seen, but also one of the saddest films too. I really can't find the right words to describe it, but this film definitely left me something huge in my chest, and every time I think of this film I feel some tightness in it, and I have to take a few sighs to ease it.

Five best words that might describe this film for me are: love, sadness, agony, beauty... and Japan. If you like any of these elements in films and are a fan of European films, I can certainly recomment this film to you! It will appeal to emotion and to reason.

Hope this helps,

Safe to say, you've never seen a movie like this one. Best to read something about butoh first. Then be prepared to follow the journey of the film's central character from a dull, daily routine half way round the world to a deeply personal expression of grief far beyond the power of words.

The cherry blossoms of the title, are the actual cherry blossoms that briefly bloom in Tokyo each spring, and they are a metaphor for the beautiful and all-too-brief course of a single human life. If the reviews for the film tend to gush, it's because, like butoh itself, what it has to say about life and death can surprise and move you far out of your own daily routine. Wonderful performances by Elmar Wepper and Aya Irizuki, and a lovely music track.