A Heartwarming (Free) Japanese Film at Eiga Sai'09

One of the cheap thrills Andy and I enjoy doing is to go on date for free (actually, Andy enjoys these dates - watching a free and rare movie at a first class movie house is indeed a treat). So it's no surprise to see us every year in the free viewing of Japanese movies during the Japanese Film Festival (Eiga Sai). Eiga Sai 2009 opened at Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City last July 2. The following night, we were among the long queue of eager-beavers waiting our first taste of 'free movie.'

Showing that night was Kamome Shokudo or Kamome Diner (Seagull Diner). The movie is about a strong-willed and compassionate Japanese woman who opened a diner in - of all places - Finland. Her diner specializes in making Japanese rice balls because, according to her, it is Japanese soul food.

Finland is one of the coldest places I have been to. Like the other Nordic countries, it is perennially clear - it only gets dark around 11 to 12 mn, and becomes clears again at about 4 am. You'll hardly see people on the street (when I was there, I only saw very fat but very cute cats roaming around!) . Their food preparation is also simple (definitely not as fancy as the French's). Thus, the country and the people struck me as being laid-back and uncomplicated.

So, opening a diner offering Japanese food in a quiet neighborhood in Finland looks a little odd. But the oddness of the situation is actually the main appeal of the movie.

Sachi, the main character would, day in and day out stay in her diner, cleaning and hoping for customers to come. Unfortunately, she was like a fish in a bowl, watched by passers-by with interest. The comments of the 3 women-'regular' watchers of Sachi actually confirms what my Hungarian friend (Laszo) told me - that Europeans have a hard time in determining the age of Asian-looking people. The 3 women in the movie calls Sachi 'girl-woman'. My take on Sachie's age in the movie is somewhere in the early 40's - she exudes confidence, compassion, and sensitivity that seem to be (deeply) rooted from her life experience.

The events took a turn when Tommy, a Finnish young adult who is fascinated with Japanese culture and anime came to the diner and asked for the lyrics of the anime show Gatchaman. Midori was next to enter the picture. Midori is a Japanese woman (also in her 40's) who decided to go to Finland because that's where her finger landed on the map (ala pin the donkey). She's obvioulsy lost and found anchor from the steadiness of Sachi. Next came Masako, a woman in her 50's who got attracted to the air-string olympics (i.e. playing the guitar ala phantomime) held in Finland. Coming out of 20 years of caring for her ill parents, Masako is also lost when her parents died.

The two Japanese women - Midori and Masako - ended up helping in the diner - not because they need income (they were not paid by Sachi for obvious reasons - she has no customer!) The two, however, were simply grateful for Sachi in allowing them to help in the diner. The irony is - what brought customers in the diner was not Japanese food (that actually came later). It was the coffee and cinnamon rolls that Sachi baked for her and Midori. And just like in any other things, a "first time" is always necessary to break the barrier. Once the shields are down, it becomes easier to have a repeat until it becomes a force of habit. Customers, thus, began coming regularly, trying out things 'new' to them (It was wonderful to watch Japanese dishes like tonkatsu, karaage, grilled salmon and onigiri or rice balls being cooked and served in the diner) and liking it.

The dynamics and friendship of the three very different women established the depth and substance of the script. The interplay of cultures - Finns and Japanese - adds texture to the story. And the unifying theme - food - made the film light and feel-good that viewers actually gave the film a round of applause when the credits came out. Watch a preview of the movie.

More films are scheduled to be shown. (Click here for the screeening schedule of Eiga Sai '09). The festival runs from July 2-12, 2009 at Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City, Aug. 14-20, 2009 at the UP Film Institute, QC. The festival will also be held at Davao City, Cebu City and Baguio City.