AN (2015) - ♦♦

Directed by - Naomi Kawase

Written by - Naomi Kawase (based on a novel by Durian Sukegawa)

Starring - Kirin Kiki, Masatoshi Nagase, Kyara Uchida

"The beat down owner of a sweet store is approached by an old lady looking for a job. At first reluctant to hire her, he changes his mind after he tastes some of her delicious red bean paste. The two bond over traditional Japanese pastry, and this also gives filmmaker NAOMI KAWASE to examine an overlooked dark and topical event in Japanese history. 

AN, which can be translated in English as "Sweet Red Bean Paste", is quite suitably the sweetest film in Naomi Kawase's filmography. 

However, even taking into consideration its most ambitious side, such as the historical re-evaluation and dealing with characters spanning over three generations, with a lonely teenage girl added to the mix, represented through broken characters, it doesn't feel very honest and overplays its melodrama far too much."

Drama, Japan/France/Germany