Cherry Blossoms
Inspired by Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story acclaimed German filmmaker Doris Dörrie’s, multi-award winning, Cherry Blossoms (Kirschblüten - Hanami) is a tender examination of life, death, love and the realities of family life. After a limited, highly acclaimed theatrical release, Cherry Blossoms is making its way to DVD, courtesy of Dogwoof on 12 October 2009.
This emotionally intense and incredibly moving story of Trudi (Hannelore Elsner - Die Endlose Nacht, Vivere) and Rudi (Elmar Wepper - Lammbock, The Fisherman and His Wife), a long-married couple who suddenly have to come to terms with each other’s mortality.
Informed of her husband’s terminal illness, Trudi takes his doctor’s advice and convinces her homebody husband to travel and see more of the world with the time they have left together.
Faced with her husband’s impending death, Trudi convinces him to take a trip to Berlin to visit their estranged grown-up children. Instead of the warm welcome they had expected the couple find their offspring cold and unwelcoming with no time or room in their lives for them.
When Trudi dies unexpectedly guilt, shame and sorrow grip the family Rudi realises how little he knew his wife and how many of her dreams she had given up for her family.
Rudi takes Trudi’s long-wished for trip to Japan to visit her favourite son and to take in the Cherry Blossom festival. Lost, alone and unaware of his illness, Rudi finds solace in friendship with homeless Butoh dancer Yu (Aya Irizuki) who helps him grieve.
With a denouement as uplifting as it is heartbreaking. Cherry Blossoms is a beautiful celebration of the impermanence of love and the importance of intimacy and the liberation that can be found in new beginnings.