Directed by Naomi Kawase • 2015 • Japan, France
Starring Kirin Kiki, Masatoshi Nagase, Kyara Uchida
Sweet bean is a delicious red bean paste, the sweet heart of the dorayaki pancakes that Sentaro (Masatoshi Nagase) sells from his little bakery to a small but loyal clientele. Absorbed in sad memories and distant thoughts, Sentaro cooks with skill but without enthusiasm. When seventy-six-year-old Tokue (Kirin Kiki) responds to his ad for an assistant and cheerfully offers to work for a ridiculously low wage, Sentaro is skeptical about the eccentric old lady’s ability to endure the long hours. But when she shows up early one morning and reveals to him the secret to the perfect sweet bean paste, Sentaro agrees to take her on. With Tokue’s new recipe, Sentaro’s business begins to flourish—until Tokue is afflicted with an illness that, once revealed, drives her into isolation once again.
Directed by Naomi Kawase • 2017 • Japan, France
Starring Masatoshi Nagase, Ayame Misaki, Tatsuya Fuji
Lauded director Naomi Kawase explores the meaning of vision in this tender romantic drama. Misako (Ayame Misaki) is a passionate writer of film captions for the visually impaired. At a screening...
Directed by Naomi Kawase • 2020 • Japan
Starring Hiromi Nagasaku, Arata Iura, Aju Makita
After a long and unsuccessful struggle to get pregnant, Satoko (Hiromi Nagasaku) and her husband (Arata Iura) decide to adopt a child. Over the next six years, the middle-class couple and their young son, As...
