Naomi Kawase does not have the audacity of trendy directors like Fukada Koji, Hiroki Ryuichi, and Imaizumi Rikiya, who stick to the vision of women's individual experience in the choice of subject matter, and, of course, does not have the profound literary qualities of famous directors like Hirokazu Koreeda , filming the film has its own quietness and fun. Her original documentary, the rough texture is very down-to-earth. And her films still belong to the feeling of being immersed in the world of oneself. Of course her films have always been sought after in Europe and beyond.
After "The Second Window", I clearly felt the decline that he was accustomed to suffer, and the patchwork drama became more and more intense, and even felt that he could not continue. She desperately needs a reverse migration, at least to change the old way of thinking. This "Taste of Chengsha" (2015), of course, cannot be summed up as a simple "success", because the word "success" itself is a utilitarian and pale short-sighted statement. But at least I saw her valuable attempt after turning around and "migrating". If she pays more attention to the mirror language, such as leaving more whiteness and more restraint, it will be a rare masterpiece.
Coincidentally, "The Taste of Chengsha" returns to people's appetite, with red bean paste as the taste carrier and four seasons cherry blossoms as the variation background, so that several strangers warm each other over the hot snack of dorayaki, and suddenly they are at odds. , and then enlightened from the transpiration of time, it is really a sincere delicacy of time cooking. Although the voice-overs, letters and recorded last words are superfluous and sensational, they still maintain a peaceful humor and a faded rhythm.
One thing can be confirmed, when the film enters 70 minutes, there is soft and clear music. This is both intriguing and patient. It's a meditative light smoke that runs through Naomi Kawase's usual flat flavor from start to finish. Therefore, in general, the rhythm of "The Taste of Chengsha" is in place, but it is too procrastinated.
When the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, Chitaro, the owner of a dorayaki shop near the train station, always looks like he can't keep up with life. The shop starts to prepare at 9:00 every day. He made the crust bluntly, sandwiched the bean paste filling for delivery, and opened the business lazily at 11 o'clock. Only every afternoon, a few female middle school students who come as usual eat dorayaki while talking and laughing, bringing some excitement to the unsmiling Chitaro, and he will always give them a copy if he is kind.
From the bustling cherry blossom road, an old lady staggered. She stooped and pointed to the recruitment notice outside the store: "My name is Dejiang, I'm hiring odd workers here?" Chitaro couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Dejiang said that you said the hourly salary is 600 yuan, and my hourly salary is 300 yuan. Unable to accept Chitaro, after politely declining, he gave her a dorayaki. After tasting it, she said bewilderedly, "Manager, your dorayaki crust is not bad, but the bean paste filling is..." After saying that, the old lady left with interest. Wakana, a female middle school student who was sitting in the store watching this scene, asked, "Then can I come to work?" Chitaro said that her task should be to study hard and try to get into high school. Wakana said blankly, "Mom doesn't agree with me going to a cram school, so I might not go to high school."
Qiantaro reluctantly gave her a pot of dorayaki "this is a defective product". Such a statement is easy for her to accept. Presumably this is Wakana's normal life. Wakana put all the pie crust in it, and her mother who ignored her was rarely at home. When she is free, she will tell stories to the children of the neighbors. But the role of Wakana, let alone forced insertion, is somewhat abrupt and lacks a powerful entry point.
The next day, Dejiang reappeared in the store and handed him a note with his address on it. Chitaro didn't know how to deal with this stubborn old lady, but Dejiang took out the crisper and said, "Please try this, I've been making dim sum for half a century, and I'll put my feelings into it." Toku Jiang left, Chitaro curiously opened the box and took a sip with his fingers, and then let him taste enough, it is no exaggeration to exaggerate.
A few days later, Dejiang came again. Before the old lady could speak, Chitaro asked her to work in the store, and the old lady was overjoyed. She pointed to the cherry tree and said, "The flowers are all withered, the leaves are still moving, I can get up earlier than the birds." Chitaro told her that you mainly do the early stage. When he saw that the bean paste used by Chitaro was all packed in metal buckets and delivered uniformly, Dejiang said disappointedly: "How can you do this? The bean paste is the soul of Dorayaki! You have to make it yourself, in the sun. Before the father-in-law comes out, make the red bean paste."
Tian Ma was bright, and the two came to the store. The old Dejiang, deftly cooking her own delicious food, she said while doing it, "This is the fragrance of the soul, we need to be warmly entertained, and slowly remove the astringency, think about how many wind and rain these red beans have gone through before they came to us. In front of me, I always like to listen to their voices, everything in the world can speak, as long as you listen carefully." The process is so time-consuming and complicated: soak the red beans to remove impurities; steam for the first time, rinse with cold water; steam for the second time, rinse again; add an appropriate amount of sugar, boil over low heat, and let stand for two hours; , let the red beans absorb enough water, and wait for the soup to dry while stirring, but you need to be careful not to break the red beans; then you need to put a tablespoon of bright agar, stir and cook again, and the carefully made thick bean paste filling You're done.
While eating the delicious Dorayaki, Chitaro said convincingly that this was the first time he thought the dorayaki he made was delicious, but I actually didn't like desserts. Don't like desserts, but open a dorayaki shop, which makes the old lady incomprehensible. The subtext seems to be saying that you don't like it, how can you open a good store. He said that in order to repay the debt, he had to continue the business. Fortunately, now there is an old lady. The train continued to pass by, the aroma of dorayaki spread, and the customers were full of praise and praise.
Dejiang, who is optimistic by nature, naturally enjoys it. Especially the three female middle school students, they were chatting, pointing at Chitaro and saying, "He's giggling, the bean paste has become smoother, and now the bean paste and the bean skin are completely integrated, I really don't want to go to school." Unexpectedly, the old lady said, "Then skip class, do whatever you want, and play as you like". They said in surprise, "That's okay," and the old lady smiled gently, "It's nice to be young, free, like a happy bird, I don't really want you to skip class, I just hope you can do what you like. , just be happy." They felt the playful comfort in the kind eyes of the old lady. Wakana and the old lady became long-term friends, and the diligence, tenacity and optimism of the old lady also infected Wakana and Chitaro. Life is not about coping, what is needed is sincerity and patience.
When the wind was rising, the lady boss of the shop found Chitaro and asked him to dismiss Dejiang immediately, because someone could tell from Dejiang's bent and deformed fingers that she was once a leper. Of course, Chitaro didn't recognize her harassment, and believed that Dejiang had already recovered, but this strong woman ordered him to fire the old lady, and he didn't want to hear the rumors of others. Hesitating, he didn't want to hurt the old lady, and couldn't tell her about it, so he had to give himself a day off. But the day was occupied by the old lady. She boiled the bean paste, made the bean skin, and opened the door to welcome guests. Unexpectedly, the old lady, who was nearly eighty years old, managed everything smoothly and was as happy as a child.
This surprised Chitaro who came the next day, she actually made two kilograms of red beans. This is motivation, but also a strong motivation. But the good times did not last long, and the situation of the small shop gradually deserted was not easy. It turned out that Wakana and the seniors were concerned about the old lady. They searched for information and learned about the origin of leprosy. After talking to the troubled mother, they caused a lot of uproar, and the store calmed down. The autumn cherry trees are still swaying quietly. The old lady said that the weather was cold and no one was eating. The shop is in critical condition, and no one is visiting. Dejiang is of course a smart old lady, she will not embarrass him, she left quietly before Chitaro could speak.
The old lady's departure did not make him feel at all comfortable. Instead, there was only a sense of loss, and Chitaro, whose heart was spared, made bean paste stuffing every day according to the method taught by Dejiang. Fortunately, Dejiang sent him a letter: "Although I live with my life, sometimes I am almost crushed by the pressure of this world, so sometimes in life I have to use wisdom to live, these, I must Tell you, please go down the path you choose." Wakana felt guilty for her unintentional mistakes. When the two talked about Dejiang, they missed the old lady of Coke. Wakana said, why don't we go to the sanatorium together.
Green leaves and shade, picturesque scenery. They came to a leper sanatorium on the outskirts. This is the forgotten corner of the world. Dejiang's expression was obviously a little dazed, as if he had suffered a blow. But their arrival still made her happy and brought her comfort. She said emotionally: My husband has been dead for 10 years, and I have been living alone since then. Thinking about being abandoned by my brother because of leprosy, I have been living here since then, and have never been out. Jizi and I have been here for a long time. Everyone making dim sum, the time at the Dorayaki shop is the best day I can remember, because I can work like a normal person. You guys also try my desserts. "
Eating Dejiang's carefully crafted desserts, Chitaro's flavors are so mixed that it's hard to describe. Dejiang jokingly said to eat delicious food, you have to laugh. For Wakana, the only thing she can do is to admire the life of her grandmother, who has been through hardships but has a good taste. These lepers are not as terrifying as rumors say, and they will not infect others, because they have already been cured, and a cure has been found in medicine.
The thoughtful Chitaro wrote to Dejiang: "Three years ago, I had a fight with someone and severely injured others. Later, my mother came to visit while I was serving my sentence. When I was released from prison, my mother was permanently ill due to illness I'm gone, I can't hear her teachings anymore." Just when he cheered up and was ready to run the dorayaki shop, the lady proprietress of the shop brought his nephew and proposed a new plan to rebuild the store. Renovation, increase the operation of okonomiyaki. Since the shop is to be run by her nephew, why should he stay?
Another spring has come. When Chitaro and Wakana came to the sanatorium again, what was waiting for them was a message from Mrs. Yoshiko: Dejiang had passed away three days ago. Dejiang left the tableware for making his own desserts to Chitaro, and also recorded a recording for them, "I had a child before, but I couldn't give birth. I think, if I did, I would be about the same age as you. I saw it for the first time. The store manager, during the weekly walk time, I saw your eyes are very melancholy, I was thinking, what makes you so painful? I really want to ask you, because that is what I used to be, that is all year round Trapped in a cage, I can't get free eyes. I can come to this store because of fate. Manager, the full moon I saw that day whispered in my ear, it always wanted you to see, That's why it works so hard to shine! Also, Wakana, don't blame me, the bird you let me take care of, I have released it, I think it still prefers nature."
How could they blame her, only Sentiment. Mrs. Jizi said, "Those who die here cannot build monuments. When everyone leaves, they plant a tree. She likes cherry blossoms the most." They came to the cherry tree in Dejiang together, as if the old lady was saying, "No matter what, we all need to listen, everyone's life has a meaning to live, don't give up."
The so-called "sweet sand taste" is not only a delicious taste that penetrates into the stomach, but also a taste of the soul, and a body odor that guides, purifies and inspires life. But looking at the splendid sakura trees, the new Chitaro, in front of his dorayaki booth, confidently shouted "Dorayaki, come here!"
2016, March, 26
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