The Taste of Tea

You don't need plot to tell a story. Well, not this sort of story. Strictly speaking, this film unfurls the lives of one family of six, and if you'd isolate each character - for each of them get full treatment - you'd see six plots interwoven into the over-arching action of "loving family." In a nutshell, perhaps better, in a teacup, or maybe even in the tea leaves, here are the six plots.

A young girl struggles to accept, and let go of, the larger than life-sized alter-ego; she does it by finally completing a full flip on a horizontal bar.

A teenage boy learns to accept himself and fall in love, through a simple game-play ritual forced on him by his father; the girl of his affection plays the game too in an after-school club, and he's good at the game.

A grown son returns home and meets his high school love; he leaves once again and finds satisfaction in his work.

A father helps others through his hypnotism; he admits to a patient that his joy device was a telephone.

A mother finds that, with hard work, she can draw anime and be a mom; she is discovered, screens a short film, and re-defines herself.

A grandfather conducts it all, observing, supporting, and entertaining them all; after he finishes a gift for each of them, he passes away.

This film is long on time, big on imagination, delightful in sound, serene in colour (for the most part), and hilarious as often as it is serious. Quirky, yes. Rewarding, absolutely.

Today was our first snow-day of the school year. Enough snowfall and wind to stop the buses. Snow-days are so nice. Need we say more?