Third Window Films Release Peaceful Comedy “The Taste of Tea” on October 5th, 2020

Third Window Films are going to release the world’s first blu-ray edition of the offbeat heart-warming family comedy The Taste of Tea tomorrow, October 05th.

Japan / 2004 /  In Japanese with English subtitles / Colour / 143 minutes

Filmmaker Katsuhito Ishii takes a break from the post-Tarantino excess of such highly-stylized outings as Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl for this low-key look at an eccentric family residing in a quiet countryside town just north of Tokyo.

The Haruno family is a five-piece clan living the simple life in Japan. The summer sun shining gently down, this quiet quintet is transformed into a six-piece when urban-dwelling uncle Ayano (Tadanobu Asano), a successful music producer, arrives to visit his family and confront his feelings for the ex-girlfriend who married another man after Ayano moved to the city.

As the lazy days pass by, each member of the family is followed in a series of episodic vignettes.

Official Selection – 2004, Cannes Film Festival
Audience Award – 2004, Entrevues Film Festival
Grand Prix – 2004, Entrevues Film Festival
Best Feature Film – 2004, Hawaii International Film Festival
Best New Actress (Anna Tsuchiya) – 2004, Hochi Film Awards
Orient Express Award – 2004, Sitges Film Festival
Audience Award – 2005, Dejima Japanese Film Festival
Best Asian Film – 2005, Fantasia Film Festival
Fantasia Ground-Breaker Award – 2005, Fantasia Film Festival
Audience Award – 2005, New York Asian Film Festival
Best New Actress (Anna Tsuchiya) – 2005 Kinema Junpo Awards
New Talent Award (Anna Tsuchiya) – 2005, Mainichi Film Award
Festival Prize – 2005, Yokohama Film Festival

The film is also released on various streaming platforms.