Cherry Blossoms: Cinematheque / Pacific East

Cherry Blossoms - Hanami
Germany, 2009, Doris Dörrie

Winner of the Roxanne T. Mueller Award at the 2009 Cleveland International Film Festival - Audience Choice Award for Best Film at the festival.

CHERRY BLOSSOMS is one of the most moving films you are ever likely to see. Directed by Doris Dörrie, 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)

4 p.m. MOVIE
Meet at the entrance door 10 minutes ahead of time or look for the group inside the theater. We will try to save seats in the front row of the upper section, center. This film has been so popular a large attendance is expected. The flick is 126 minutes, so expect to be out around 6:15 p.m. You may also meet us afterward outside the entrance door. If you RSVP, we will wait for you.

6:30 p.m. Eats
Considering the early starting time (4 p.m.), we will have plenty of time for a leisurely meal at a nearby Japanese establishment. Pacific East (1763 Coventry Road, [masked]) is an ideal spot. it's a short 10 minute drive from the theater. Of course, cash is king here. The restaurant is located at Mayfield Road and Coventry in Cleveland Heights, http://www.pacificeas...

Please let us know your dinner plans on your RSVP so that we can either save you a seat at the "Movie Group" table or plan to meet you at the movie. Checks are processed in groups of 2 or 3 so please bring cash to pay for your meal. If you don't see us when you walk in, ask to be seated with the Movie Group.

DESCRIPTION
“With this story I tried to investigate serious questions about life and death, love and loss in a lightfooted and hopefully lighthearted way: does impermanence teach us to see things the way they really are? Is it possible to enjoy the present moment in the face of death? What makes us blossom? What makes us wither? How can we water our seeds of joy? We tried to apply these questions not only to the story but also to our way of shooting. We tried to discover beauty in each moment and let it pervade the story. For all of us, this blend of reality and fiction was strangely exhilarating. It was as if the line between waking and dreaming had been blurred and it wasn’t quite clear where we were, but at all times we felt much closer to the essence and I think this shows in the film.” Director Doris Dörrie..

FEE
Goes toward charges incurred for using the MeetUp website. You can access PayPal or pay your fee to the Organizer at the event.
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MOVIE LINKS:
Movie Reviews.
http://www.rottentoma...

Cinemateque, Cleveland Institute of Art, 11141 East Blvd. http://www.cia.edu/ac...

PARKING: They have a free parking lot.

NOTE TO FIRST TIME GOERS: If this is your first movie with the group, there is no fee to attend.

This group has been successful partly because members have a genuine interest in meeting fellow independent movie goers. We don't always know where to look for you, especially first timers.

We have multiple meeting places: 1. Entrance door to the movie in the theater hallway 5-10 minutes before the movie starts, 2. By the Marquee (or entrance door) after the movie, or 3. Reserved table at a restaurant under the name "Movie Group".

We don't always sit together in the movie theater but if you see a bunch of people talking about good movies they have seen, it is probably us. Please join in. We are always happy to get new people involved.