Grüsse aus Fukushima

I really enjoyed the movie even though i went to see it without knowing what it was about. its art house - if you find black and white movies, experimental aspects (like e.g. when feelings are actually visualized or personified) and the odd feeling of art movies in general annoying and pretentious, you probably wont like this one.

if you do enjoy art cinema, you might appreciate this movie. i was skeptical, but i like the feeling, you dont notice the black and white visuals consciously, feelings are well transported, and i love the languages used. its a german movie, the protagonist is and speaks german, the movie is set in fukushima, japan, so people around her speak mostly and often exclusively japanese, and the communication the viewer understands is in broken english. it feels real. the protagonist is quite german, in an authentic way. i loved the movie in the end, i love movies and this is one of my favourites, a tattooed myself a line from the movie. the friends i have watched it with who are hesitant about artsy movies did enjoy themselves definitely.

The plot of the movie is very straightforward and it is revealed from the lips of the protagonist in the very first minutes of the movie, so don't expect any suspense here. It is about a young German woman who goes to Japan in order to escape her grief, finding some sort of solace in repairing an old woman's hut in Fukushima. Fukushima is, of course, that city that was devastated by a Tsunami and a nuclear meltdown some years back. So, there you go, once again, for the umpteenth time, the same old heart-broken-person-finds-meaning-in-restoring-some-old-garbage narrative... I am sorry for being so negative, but I really expected a little more originality from the acclaimed director Doris Dörrie. What really saves the movie is the beautiful black-and-white cinematography, which is a humble nod to Tarkovsky's "Stalker" or perhaps to some of Bela Tarr's bleak pictures of the Hungarian puszta. This film is visually a gem, but the story provides one cliché after the other. So if you are to enjoy it, I would recommend ignoring the plot, turning a blind eye on the German protagonist's terrible acting, and soaking in the evocative imagery.

It is not a thriller, drama, or suspense, but a slightly lighter and more comedic genre that combines all mentioned above. In that sense, the first scene captures well the atmosphere of the film. Is a good decision of Dorries to choose humor and surrealism to contrast and lighten or maybe emphasize the harsh environment of Fukushima and the tsunami´s impact on the people and the place. The relationship between these two strong female characters develops as well as the plot does. Each of them has something the other is lacking and something that both share so is entertaining to see them interact and find out what they are interchanging. The cat is a symbol and it is present only in specific circumstances of the movie, which could be a metaphor for the transition of the main character. Overall it is a quite unique movie that I encourage both female and male audiences to watch to relate or understan us better.

I liked the acting of Rosalie Thomass. And I can relate to her decision to venture to a faraway place in order to escape her messed up life. And the fact that she almost gave up, but decided at last moment to stay, to follow through. Kind of pivotal point in the character's life, suggesting that from now on she will take life seriously, she will show grit and not give in to easy temptations (like the one that ruined her almost marriage). Occasionally the character acts awkwardly (like bursting in tears, or not knowing how to sweep the floor). I think this is not unlike real life: people do behave awkwardly sometimes, or change their mind, or change their view of the world; all these apply to both main characters in the movie: the German young woman and the former geisha.