Stupeur et tremblements (2003)

A Belgian woman looks back on her year at a Japanese corporation in Tokyo in 1990. She is Amélie, born in Japan, living there until age 5. After college graduation, she returns with a ... See full summary »

Director:

Alain Corneau

Writers:

Amélie Nothomb (novel), Alain Corneau (scenario)

Stars:

Sylvie Testud, Kaori Tsuji, Tarô Suwa

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Sylvie Testud	...	Amélie
Kaori Tsuji	...	Fubuki
Tarô Suwa	...	Monsieur Saito
Bison Katayama	...	Monsieur Omochi
Yasunari Kondo	...	Monsieur Tenshi
Sokyu Fujita	...	Monsieur Haneda
Gen Shimaoka	...	Monsieur Unaji
Heileigh Gomes	...	Amélie enfant
Eri Sakai	...	Fubuki enfant

Storyline

A Belgian woman looks back on her year at a Japanese corporation in Tokyo in 1990. She is Amélie, born in Japan, living there until age 5. After college graduation, she returns with a one-year contract as an interpreter. The vice president and section leader, both men, are boors, but her immediate supervisor, Ms. Mori, is beautiful and trustworthy. Amélie's downfall begins when she speaks perfect Japanese to clients. She compounds her failure by writing an excellent report for an enterprising colleague. The person she least expects to stab her in the back exposes her work. Thus begins her humiliations. What can become of her and of her relationship with Ms. Mori and with Japan?

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Plot Keywords:

japan | japanese | writing | interpreter | corporation | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Cinema Guild [United States] Official Site [France]

Country:

France Japan

Language:

French Japanese

Release Date:

12 March 2003 (France)

Also Known As:

Bojazn i drzenie

Filming Locations:

Kyoto, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Divali Films, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

Fubuki's moles flip from one side of her face to the other during certain scenes.

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Connections

Features Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)

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Soundtracks

Goldberg Variations
(selections)
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Pierre Hantai, harpsichord

User Reviews

You will laugh but you will wince

Engrossing, devastating indictment upon corporate Japan and its mores. Sylvie Testud as the young Belgian returning to the country where she spent the first five years of her life and Kaori Tsuji as her stunning boss lady, are both magnificent in their so believable roles but this is not an easy film to watch. You will laugh but you will wince and feel for those down trodden by a system that equates longevity of a male worker's employment with success over those of a more innovative employee and certainly a woman or even more so a foreigner. What chance then a foreign woman worker? Director Corneau has apparently stuck fairly closely to the original autobiographical novel and this is a most affecting movie, even more so for those, like me, who have family in the country. Not 'enjoyable' in the normally accepted sense but a most rewarding experience.