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 

Press Kit

Hi-Res Poster

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Hi-Res Trailer

Interested in bringing Sweet Bean to your school or library? If you'd like to have an in-class viewing, on-campus screening, or purchase the DVD for your library's collection, please contact Estelle Grosso at EDU@kinolorber.com or call (212) 629-6880 with your request.

Sweet Bean may also be available with Public Performance Rights (PPR) and Digital Site Licensing (DSL) for colleges and universities. To purchase the DVD with PPR or DSL, please contact Estelle Grosso at EDU@kinolorber.com or call (212) 629-6880. Click here to learn more at Kino Lorber Edu.

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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
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Houston 1471665600August 20 - August 21, 2016
Cinema du Parc Montreal 1470369600August 5 - August 11, 2016
Reel Pizza Cinerama Bar Harbor 1467086400June 28 - June 30, 2016
Gateway Film Center Columbus 1467000000June 27 - June 29, 2016
PFS Roxy Philadelphia 1466740800June 24 - June 30, 2016
Moxie Cinema Springfield 1466308800June 19 - June 20, 2016
Coral Gables Art Cinema Coral Gables 1465531200June 10 - June 23, 2016
Guild Cinema Albuquerque 1464926400June 3 - June 6, 2016
Northwest Film Forum Seattle 1464840000June 2 - June 5, 2016
Cleveland Museum of Art Cleveland 14647536006/1 & 6/3
Knickerbocker Holland 1464667200May 31 - June 4, 2016
Mesilla Valley Film Society Mesilla 1464321600May 27 - June 2, 2016
Rose Theatre Port Townsend 1464062400May 24 - May 26, 2016
Webster University Film Series St. Louis 1463716800May 20 - May 22, 2016
El Campanil Antioch 1463284800May 15, 2016
West Side / Strand Vicksburg 1463198400May 14, 2016
Orinda Theater Orinda 1463112000May 13 - May 26, 2016
Grand Cinema Tacoma Tacoma 1462507200May 6 - May 19, 2016
Lark Theater Larkspur 1461902400April 29 - May 16, 2016
State Theatre of Modesto Modesto 1461297600April 22 - April 28, 2016
Real Art Ways Hartford 1461297600April 22 - April 28, 2016
4-Star San Francisco 1460692800April 15 - May 12, 2016
Camera 3 Downtown San Jose 1460692800April 15 - April 24, 2016
Wilmette Theatre Wilmette 1460692800April 15 - April 21, 2016
Center For Contemporary Arts Santa Fe 1460692800April 15 - April 21, 2016
Elmwood Cinemas Berkeley 1460088000April 8 - April 28, 2016
Laemmle Royal Theatre Los Angeles 1460088000April 8 - April 28, 2016
Laemmle Playhouse 7 Pasadena 1460088000April 8 - April 14, 2016
Sundance Kabuki Cinemas San Francisco 1460088000April 8 - April 14, 2016
Smith Rafael Film Center San Rafael 1460088000April 8 - April 24, 2016
Gene Siskel Film Center Chicago 1460088000April 8 - April 14, 2016
Landmark Midtown Art Cinema Atlanta 1459483200April 1 - April 7, 2016
Lincoln Plaza Cinema New York 1458273600March 18 - March 31, 2016


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