Sweet Red Bean Paste

An (literally 'Sweet Red Bean Paste') is a 2015 japanese drama by Naomi Kawase staring Kirin Kiki, Masatoshi Nagase and Kyara Uchida. The story is centred around a dorayaki (a kind of japanese pastry containing sweet red bean paste, hence the title) shop in Tokyo which is really different and imediately appealing, especially to a western audience. On top of this it is very accessible and suits any age and type of audience.

It follows the lives of three main characters; Sentaro (mainly reffered as Sen or 'boss' throughout the film), a middle aged man who runs a small dorayaki shop, Tokue, a lady in her mid-seventies who claimes that she has dreamt of working in a dorayaki shop her whole life and Wakana, a teenage girl who is a frequent customer of the shop. These very different people come together to build an unexpected friendship and strong bond based around their problems and extreme loneliness.

Despite a few scenes which felt slightly out of place An is interesting portrayal of the problems with japanese society. Although its main focus is the Leprosy Prevention Act of 1953, the segregation the lepers had to go through and the complication they have re-entering society it touches on other themes present in japanese society. The hard working culture of Japan is shown in this film aswell as alcoholism, mental health problems and loneliness this attitude can cause. It is a film embracing the outsiders of society.

What I particularly enjoyed is that it wasn't attacking japanese culture. It was pointing out its flaws but also embracing its advantages. The scenery and images in An are so aesthetically pleasing. It portays Japan as a beautiful country and the japanese as very close to nature, which happens to mirror the main religions shintoism and buddhism. The mentions to nature in this film are almost impossible to count. One of my favourite scenes was when Sentaro and Wakana were visiting Tokue in the area where lepers were sent which is completely isolated from society. As they are walking through the trees and flowers they are completely enchanted by the silence.

An is full of moments which will make you smile and laugh and cry. It takes alot for me to say this but I loved every aspect of this film. I loved that it didn't contain all those annoying stereotypes films tend to have. The character developpement, acting, themes and messages were superb. It was clear, simple and easy to watch and I urge you to go see it too!