Sweet Bean

A lonely baker has his life (and business) reinvigorated when he hires an elderly woman with an uncanny culinary skill and a mysterious communion with nature, in this... Read more

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Sweet Bean

Directed by Naomi Kawase

Year: 2015
Running Time: 113
Color Type: Color
Country: Japan, Germany, France
Language: Japanese
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Sweet Bean

Cast
Masatoshi Nagase
Etsuko Ichihara
Miyoko Asada
Kyara Uchida
Kirin Kiki

Crew
Directed by Naomi Kawase


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 home cooked sweet bean paste recipe, Sentaro's business begins to flourish, but Tokue is afflicted with an illness that, once revealed, drives her into isolation once again.

Reviews

Sweet Bean- New York Times Critics' Pick review

Glenn Kenny

"Warm and unusually crowd-pleasing." -The Village Voice 

"Naomi Kawase's gentle study of life, loss and confectionery is easily the Japanese auteur's most accessible work to date." -Variety 

"Delightful, unfashionably earnest and, at its best, very moving." -Pop Matters 

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Hi-Res Trailer

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Sweet Bean Kyara Uchida (l), Kirin Kiki (m), Masatoshi Nagase (r)
Sweet Bean Masatoshi Nagase (l), Kyara Uchida (r)
Sweet Bean Masatoshi Nagase
Sweet Bean Kyara Uchida
Sweet Bean Masatoshi Nagase
Sweet Bean Kirin Kiki
Sweet Bean Director Naomi Kawase

PLAYDATES

Venue City Date
Cinema Society, San Diego San Diego 1477368000October 25, 2016
Honolulu Museum of Art Honolulu 147659040010/16, 10/18, 10/20
Art Gallery of Hamilton Hamilton 1476331200October 13, 2016


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