As the reviews I had read before watching the film were rather mixed, I did not expect too much, but I was really touched by the story.
Trudi learns that her husband is fatally ill and may die soon. Therefore she convinces him to visit their children in Berlin, who, of course, are rather underwhelmed by this parental invasion. The parents move on to spend a few days at the Baltic Sea where - out of the blue - Trudi dies. Her husband Rudi realizes that he did not really know his wife or take her dreams and interests seriously.
As Trudi was very much interested in Butoh dance, Rudi decides to go to Japan and see their other son who lives there. He gets to know a young Butoh dancer who has lost her mother, and both decide to go to Mount Fuji together.
A film about dying and blaming yourself for being unkind to someone who has just died might sound depressing, and you can shed some tears while watching this film. Yet it is not a tearjerker, and it has very funny scenes too. The director of photography deserves an award for his artwork, and the duck hurrying around in a very important way is a running gag that just makes you laugh.
Definitely the most touching film I have seen in the past few months. Go and watch it - it's a must-see.
Trudi learns that her husband is fatally ill and may die soon. Therefore she convinces him to visit their children in Berlin, who, of course, are rather underwhelmed by this parental invasion. The parents move on to spend a few days at the Baltic Sea where - out of the blue - Trudi dies. Her husband Rudi realizes that he did not really know his wife or take her dreams and interests seriously.
As Trudi was very much interested in Butoh dance, Rudi decides to go to Japan and see their other son who lives there. He gets to know a young Butoh dancer who has lost her mother, and both decide to go to Mount Fuji together.
A film about dying and blaming yourself for being unkind to someone who has just died might sound depressing, and you can shed some tears while watching this film. Yet it is not a tearjerker, and it has very funny scenes too. The director of photography deserves an award for his artwork, and the duck hurrying around in a very important way is a running gag that just makes you laugh.
Definitely the most touching film I have seen in the past few months. Go and watch it - it's a must-see.