Cherry Blossoms

Kirschbluten: Hanami

(Germany , France, 2008, 127 mins)

digital video

Wisconsin Premiere

writer: Dorris Dörrie
producer: David Groenewold, Harald Kugler, Molly von Furstenberg, Patrick Zorer
cast: Elmar Wepper, Hannelore Elsner, Aya Irizuki, Maximilian Brückner, Nadja Uhl

• IMDB Film Info
• www.kirschblueten-film.de
• Trailer

Cherry Blossoms is a movie that unfolds in two parts. To begin, Trudi and Rudi are a long-married couple who may be no longer really listening to each other. Their habits get disrupted with Trudi learns that her husband has a life-threatening condition. This is kept a secret from the frumpy Rudi, who establishes himself as someone who likes his German sausage and doesn’t like anything new. They travel to Berlin to visit some of their children, who are too impatiently wrapped up in kids and careers, in their own things, to extend much of a welcome to their parents. It’s at this point that the film is transformed: it’s Trudy who dies, leaving Rudi surprisingly bewildered. Comprehending what a loss this is, Rudi vows to honor her long-standing desire to travel to Japan to see their expatriate son. It is revealed that Trudi admired Butoh, a kind of modern expressionist dance movement. Rudi takes the trip to Japan, during Hanami (“cherry blossom watching”). Under the pink blossoms, with the lingering grief and disconnection of the foreign place, he discovers Butoh. Culminating with a pilgrimage to the iconic fog-shrouded Mount Fuji, Cherry Blossoms is a poignant celebration of beauty, new beginnings, and the ultimate metaphor for the impermanence of life. Winner, Best Film, 2008 Seattle Film Festival; Outstanding Feature Film and Best Actor, 2008 German Film Awards.

Sponsored By:

UW Center for European Studies

---

For ticketing information please phone (608) 265-2933 or email boxoffice@wifilmfest.org