Faces of a Fig Tree
|
|
From AsianMediaWiki
User Rating
Current user rating: 100/100 (1 votes)
Profile
- Movie: Faces of a Fig Tree
- Romaji: Ichijiku no kao
- Japanese: 無花果の顔
- Director: Kaori Momoi
- Writer: Kaori Momoi
- Producer:
- Cinematographer
- Release Date: 2006
- Runtime: 94 min.
- Language: Japanese
- Country: Japan
Plot
The Kadowaki family lives in a traditional wooden house with a fig tree in the garden. Mr. Kadowaki is a simple, rough-mannered construction worker and Mrs. Kadowaki is a devoted housewife, despite her suspicions about other women in her husband’s life. One day, while working in an abandoned construction site, Kadowaki San spies a surprisingly sexy sprite. Shortly after, he collapses and dies. The widow, who goes to live with her daughter, a journalist with her own peculiarities, finds work in a restaurant. When she and the boss become a couple, they move back to the house with the fig tree. The once barren tree becomes an active participant in the story…
The Kadowaki family lives in a traditional Japanese wooden house with a fig tree in the yard. The atmosphere is rough, but warm-hearted. The father sets off for Tokyo to take a secretive night job at a construction site. This sows mistrust in the family. Barely after having returned, Oto dies from a sudden brain hemorrhage. Mother Maasa loses her emotional balance, daughter Yume discovers her adoption papers; their world starts to unravel.
Notes
Stories of dysfunctional families are a field open to comedy, eccentricity and surrealism, as is well proven by actress Momoi Kaori's directorial debut. A traditional Japanese house, a tree as the silent observer of life’s passing, and the inevitable conclusion that despite being relatives, the characters in this family unit do not understand each other. The aesthetic decisions taken by the director are as unconventional as the family she depicts: actors who address the spectator in big close-ups, animated interludes with foul-mouthed ants and unorthodox usage of camera angle, make this movie a highly interesting and original pic. Kimura Takeo, art director on many of Seijun Suzuki’s films (Princess Raccoon, BAFF 2006), is responsible for the extravagant set design.
Cast
- Kaori Momoi
- Hanako Yamada
- Saburo Ishikura
- Katsumi Takahashi
- Ryo Iwamatsu
- Ken Mitsuishi
- Makiko Watanabe
- Hiroyuki
Image Gallery
 Faces of a Fig Tree |
 Faces of a Fig Tree |
Festivals
- 11th Pusan International Film Festival
- 57th Berlin International Film Festival
OST
- 01. .How Your Trees Will Grow -いちじくの唄- (Duet Version)
- 02. Round & Around
- 03. Sunshine Days
- 04. Blue Room
- 05. How Your Trees Will Grow -いちじくの唄- (Static Revenger Mix)
- 06. Mother Tree
- 07. Fig Tree
- 08. Smoke
- 09. Otosa
- 10. How Your Trees Will Grow -いちじくの唄- (English Version)
- 11. Ant Walk
- 12. Okasa
- 13. Slippery Slope
- 14. Picture Box
- 15. How Your Trees Will Grow -いちじくの唄- (Japanese Version)
- 16. EuroPan
External Links
Comments
Leave a Comment
