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Cherry Blossoms
User Score
8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11

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  1. JuliaA.
    May 22, 2009
    9
    Portrayal of wanderlust in affection and admiration.
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  2. KenjiC
    Aug 22, 2009
    9
    A German director Doris Dorrie’s third film in her trilogy on Japan, Cherry Blossoms, is an exquisite, absorbing and deeply moving meditation on life, death, loss, loneliness and grief. Talking about old parents with alienated and indifferent descendants, the first half of the film may remind the audience of Yasujiro Ozu’s film made in 1953, Tokyo Monogatari. The six hugging-or-massage (by family members and strangers) scenes and the father’s harmonious relationships with his daughter’s girlfriend and a Japanese girl successfully highlight the poor relationship between the father and his children. The second half in which the main character embarks on a reflective journey in search of traces of the deceased love captures the mood of Lost in Translation and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles. The cultural shock experienced also makes the film distinguishable from Under the Sand. Cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji symbolize the fleeting and unpredictable nature of life. The film delivers a message that we should treasure the people around us, pursue our dreams and enjoy life to the full so that we will have no regrets. Besides, it is also about the main character’s inability to communicate with not only the dead, but also the living family members. Butoh, a Japanese dance, helps people to feel and establish connections with others. What’s more, the audience can pay attention to the symbolic meaning of the drawings at the beginning of the film and the photos at the end. The cinematographer and the composer also succeed in evoking different tones from several shooting locations in Germany and Japan. The suburbs contrast sharply with the hustle and bustle of city life. Apart from the haunting visual images and the Japanese music playing upon the audience’s heartstrings, the characters are so lifelike and well-acted that the audience will care about what happens to them. On the whole, although Cherry Blossoms is a bit too long, without emotional bludgeoning or syrupy manipulation, it is a sincerely made little road movie producing emotional resonance and reflective ripples in a whisper.… Expand
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  3. WalterL.
    Jan 16, 2009
    9
    A charming movie about youth, old age, death and hope across cultures.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. ChrisK.
    May 22, 2009
    9
    The film shows not only the dynamics of husband and wife, but also of parents and children. Love can be taken for granted, and time shows no mercy on those who wait for happiness and intimacy. I was not totally engrossed in the movie, but I did find it emotionally satisfying.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
62 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Deborah Young
    80
    Doerrie goes beyond the "Lost in Translation" jokes about East-West culture clashes to communicate something meaningful and deep about Japanese art and thought.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Eddie Cockrell
    70
    A successful novelist whose films bear the expansive plotting and telling character detail of the page, Doerrie never seems in any particular hurry to tell her tales, preferring the journey to the destination.
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  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Ella Taylor
    50
    The best I can say for Cherry Blossoms is that it's made with love; the worst, that it's been a big hit in Germany. Yearning for Ozu, Dörrie stops off at cute, and parks.
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