An at Luna Leederville

Details: Written by: Nita Teoh; Category: Arts & Culture; Published: 26 April 2016

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Sentaro (Masatoshi Nagase), in An the movie by Naomi Kawase

Feeling hungry for a dorayaki?!

“An” - the movie by Naomi Kawase is showing at Luna Leederville, and the story revolves around a baker selling dorayaki – a Japanese pancake filled with a sweet red bean paste “an”.

Life for Sentaro the baker is so-so and as he goes about his daily life, he appears sad and lonely to his customers with little to laugh about.

The story takes an interesting turn when an elderly lady by the name of Tokue applies to help him out in his bakery.
More than meets the eye and as the story unfolds, we are drawn into the lives of the characters in the movie - each with their unique personality and individual set of challenges.

The movie offers a visual feast and insights into the fine art of making “an”. As we watch Tokue make the sweet red bean paste, we see her take “boss” under her tutelage to show him the culinary secrets of making “an”.

Just as Tokue takes tender loving care to make the filling for the sweet pastry morsels, we see the same heartfelt moments of tenderness displayed between the characters as friendships blossom.

There are happy times together laughing over fleeting moments of joy, as well as deeper encounters where wounds of the past are exposed.

The movie interweaves a clever interplay between the ebb and flow of events in life, and the passage of time with the changing of seasons in a quaint little township in Japan.

The movie highlights the visual splendour of the cherry trees in full bloom and as the season changes, with the cherry blossom trees losing their foliage, so do we also witness the characters facing their challenges in life as the days goes by…beautiful moments filled with joy, and along with periods of sadness and sorrow.

This movie will appeal to those who enjoy a touching, sensitive movie that will leave a lasting impression long after you have watched it.

An” is a beautiful movie…. I smiled, I laughed, and I cried.

It’s definitely one for foodie lovers to observe the fine art of making “an” and “dorayaki”, and for those who appreciate a beautifully crafted movie about the fragility of human life and spirit.

As I left the movie, I stepped out onto the pavement of the Leederville café strip feeling a tad hungry to find a dorayaki or two in Perth!

“An” the movie based on the novel by Durian Sukegawa opens at Luna Leederville this Thursday 28 April.

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