As I was preparing for my weekly Tokyo Thursdays, the mention of Babette’s Feast in a Japan Times movie review piqued my interest.
Who does not like a good Foodie Film?
In Tasty performances spice up a tired genre, Mark Schilling (Japan Times, October 10) gives us his take on Mitsuhiro Mihara’s "Shiawase no Kaori (Flavor of Happiness)" (2008).
Here’s an excerpt of the review so you get a sense of it:
"Mihara’s hero, Wan (Tatsuya Fuji), is a crusty,
closed-mouth cook at a small Chinese restaurant — a personality type
thoroughly familiar from all the above shows, series and films. Wan,
however, is an immigrant from Shaoxing, a city not far from Shanghai,
which sets him apart from not only his surroundings in provincial
Kanazawa Prefecture, but also the usual run of Japanese TV and movie
chefs. Instead of the above-mentioned comfort food, Wan specializes in
simple, but deliciously addictive lunch specials for a close-knit
circle of regulars.Mihara, a gourmet himself, films Wan’s productions
with the ultracareful attention to lighting and presentation found in
glossy lifestyle magazines. He and his collaborators, including
cinematographer Aiko Ashizawa and lighting director Masao Kanazawa,
make a tomato-and-egg stir-fry look like the height of culinary art.
And from the delighted reactions of the customers at Wan’s eatery,
called Little Shanghai, the visuals only seem to be telling the
mouthwatering truth.A local department store decides to approach Wan about
opening an in-store branch — and dispatches Takako (Miki Nakatani), a
pretty thirtysomething staffer. Takako, who is raising a daughter alone
after her husband’s death, is determined to close the deal but Wan
gives her the brushoff. Undiscouraged, she comes back to the restaurant
every day, tastes everything on the menu and loves it. (She lights up
as if her soul is getting a burst of pure, homey pleasure.) But Wan
refuses to listen to her proposal — he wants to see the people he
feeds, he says.Then Wan collapses with a minor stroke that leaves him
unable to work. Takako begs him to take her on as an apprentice, so
that his cooking will live on. Wan, who has no wife or heir, agrees. He
sees Takako not just as a successor but as a kindred spirit whose love
for good food approaches his own. A more personal reason surfaces as
the story progresses: Takako becomes the daughter he once had, but lost."
The movie seems to have been released only in Japan so far.
Looking at the Big Screen for Tokyo Thursdays #60
Related: ‘I want to eat my cheese with someone’…Foodie Films #2