Wake up early to smoke a cigarette, then go downstairs to the store to prepare, with lifeless steps, the unmotivated store owner Chitaro is about to start his day-to-day work-making dorayaki, selling dorayaki. Even if he is a man who does not like sweets.
It seems like the day should go on like this, and it can only go on like this. But the encounter between people is so wonderful. In this season when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, Ms. Dejiang appeared, and Chitaro's life has undergone subtle and huge changes.
The 76-year-old Dejiang is a kind and gentle grandmother with inconvenient hands. She came to the store to apply for a temporary job. It is conceivable that she was rejected by Chitaro, but she did not give up because of this, but brought it with her not long after. A bean paste filling made by himself was given to Chitaro to taste. In the face of this sudden "gift", Chitaro planned to take a sip, but fell into a feeling of surprise after tasting it. After that, Dejiang appeared again, and this time, Chitaro expressed his wish that Dejiang would come to the store to help make red bean paste.
The life between the two has intersected because of the dorayaki, and it also continued because of the delicious stuffing.
Dejiang said to start preparations before the sun rises. So this day, when the alarm clock rang, and the night had not completely faded, Chitaro came to the store for the first time. Under Dejiang's patient guidance, they filtered out the impurities from the soaked red beans, washed them with a gentle stream of water to remove the astringency, and then added sugar to slowly boil and stir... From the end of the moon to nearly noon, this In a time-consuming process, the red beans were graciously treated. When the hearty sweet glutinous bean paste was mixed into the hot pancake at the end, Sentaro, who doesn't like sweets, ate a whole dorayaki for the first time in his life.
Since then, some changes have become clear.
Here, the picture of the film is presented in a slow rhythm, and the process of making bean paste is spread out for us to see. The trivial and rigorous steps are not cold, but bring delicate warmth. From the conversation between Dejiang and Chitaro, we can know that she lives seriously and is grateful. This precious attitude not only affects Chitaro, but also passes on to us who are watching the movie.
The students who came to cheer after school praised that the taste of the bean paste became firmer and smoother. Slowly, there were more customers lining up to buy dorayaki, and the business was bustling, and Chitaro also became busy.
Among the many customers, there is a female student named Wakana who is a frequent visitor here. In a single-parent family, she has an irresponsible mother. The relationship between the mother and daughter is weak and alienated. Before she knows it, she comes to the store more often, and she and Dejiang gradually become familiar with each other. In the film, there is not much focus on Wakana's family environment, but from the fact that she packed a bag of dorayaki that Chitaro failed to make and brought home, and raised a cute bird as company, it is not difficult to see that she was growing up in her life. full of loneliness.
Life seems to always be like this, loneliness and loneliness go hand in hand, Wakana is, Qiantaro is, and Dejiang is too.
It was soon discovered that Dejiang was a leper. Even though he was cured and was not contagious, the skin damage and numbness of his limbs were still talked about by everyone. In the face of the bustling business, the business returned to normal even for a day. One day, Chitaro didn't want to say "resign", so he could only smoke a cigarette reluctantly.
The unspoken fact lies between the two, between personal helplessness and social exclusion. Dejiang knows that he can't stay any longer, so he bids farewell to Chitaro as before, and after this time, she understands that she doesn't have to. Back to the store.
There are not too many words, but it seems to hear many sighs. Dejiang's lost expression, the figure who left, and the smoky cigarette that Chitaro was holding around his mouth were all silently complaining about the intolerance of this society.
What moved me most in the film was the letter sent by the postman to Dejiang. With Dejiang's monologue, we came to understand more deeply that her heart was full of respect and love for all creatures. Bit by bit, day by day, month by day, because I have experienced setbacks, encountered abandonment, and always been trapped in a cage, I cherish what I see, listen to what I hear, and thank you for what you encounter.
I yearn for freedom because I am not free, and I want to be accepted because I am a human being. It is undeniable that the national treasure-level actor Shu Xilin's voice is full of vicissitudes and full of vicissitudes, and can easily grasp the soft part of our hearts and talk about it.
Towards the end of the film, Wakana and Chitaro visit Tokue in a sanatorium. After not seeing him for many days, Dejiang was very haggard. During this period, she introduced her good friend Jizi to them. After that, everyone started chatting lightly. Dejiang slowly talked about her husband who died ten years ago, and about the red bean rice made by her mother, And the items that were disposed of after arriving at the sanatorium... At the end of the meal together, Wakana praised the delicious food, Chitaro removed the indifference disguise, and Tokujiang said that he was taken care of.
Everyone laughed and wept, and at the end wept and raised the corners of their mouths.
And our store manager Chitaro, a man who doesn't like sweets but chooses to sell dorayaki in the store, his story seems to need to be known by us, but it becomes less important. He was imprisoned for hurting others, and his mother died while serving his sentence. He is not someone who listens to anyone's words, but only the teachings of his late mother will be remembered in his heart. Now there is another Dejiang, whose encouragement makes him Chitaro has the idea of trying to change the status quo.
——"Manager, sooner or later, you will be able to make a dorayaki that expresses your own thoughts. Please go on the path you choose."
It is true that in the end, the renovation of the store and the death of Dejiang brought new pain to Chitaro. Fortunately, the recordings left by Dejiang brought him warm comfort.
A quiet apartment, a small shop, and a remote sanatorium, the three of them have their own places to go, but their hearts have nowhere to rest. If they can meet and get along with each other, they should be happy and warm to each other.
——"The first time I saw the store manager was when I was walking once a week, I was attracted by the sweet smell, and then I saw you, a pair of melancholy eyes, what makes him so painful, I really want to I ask you... It's like a ghost, that's the look in my eyes, the look in my eyes when I've been trapped in a cage for many years and can't be free... Therefore, I think I'll be standing in front of the store, and I should have received the guidance of my destiny." Dejiang, who said so, is gone forever, but remains in his heart.
When everything is quiet, work hard to grow, and when everything has sound, listen carefully. We have gone round and round all our lives and experienced hardships, but this cannot make us feel depressed and hesitant all day long. Red beans can still be filtered into delicate red bean paste, and life should also filter the dross to usher in inner peace.
The meaning of living should be such a free and upward attitude.
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