Cherry Blossoms – Hanami

CHERRY BLOSSOMS is one of the most moving films you are ever likely to see. Directed by Doris D̦rrie, and winner of many awards, it is a consistently surprising story of loss, regret, and rebirth. Rudi and Trudi Angermeier are a long-married Bavarian couple. Rudi is a gruff man who likes routine, though some day he might visit his eldest son in Tokyo. Trudi is a dedicated homemaker, a sensitive woman who has always wanted to visit Japan and explore her passion for Butoh dancing. When she learns that her husband doesn't have long to live, Trudi decides not to tell him and instead persuades him to go on a trip with her. After a wrenching visit with their grown children in Berlin, who are too busy for them, they continue their holiday by the Baltic Sea. Unexpectedly, it is Trudi who dies, overnight in the hotel. Overwhelmed by his loss, and consumed with regret that he kept his wife from her dream, Rudi undertakes a journey to Tokyo for her. As he experiences the beautiful transience of the cherry blossoms, his friendship with a young Butoh dancer helps him to mourn and celebrate his wife. (In English and German with English subtitles) РB.B.