7.0/10
4,126
42 user 40 critic

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)
5 wins & 2 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

Edit

Cast

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

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? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

Certificate:

See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on Amélie Nothomb's real-life experience when she was living Japan in her early twenties in the early 1990s . The real-life events narrated in the film took place at the same time than those narrated in Tokyo Fiancée (2014) which depicts Amélie Nothomb's romance with her then-fiancé Rinri. However, Tokyo Fiancée's director Stefan Liberski set his film in the early 2010s. See more »

Goofs

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

Connections

Features Feliz Natal, Mr. Lawrence (1983) See more »

Soundtracks

Goldberg Variations
(selections)
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Pierre Hantaï, harpsichord
See more »

User Reviews

 
simple answer
18 March 2005 | by sumiiSee all my reviews

Hi all, I've watched this movie and enjoyed it as a Japanese born in Tokyo and lived there for ~30 years (though my wife, also Japanese, was p***ed off.;-) Just a short comment on questions like "can this be real?" - my answer is clear and obvious "no". It could possibly happen to _Japanese_ female employees in a few nasty companies 30 years ago, but is simply impossible to "Westerners" as they are specially respected. Whether this is good or bad is another question.

By the way, some of the text appearing at the official web site (http://www.cinemaguild.com/fearandtrembling/) as background decoration actually looks like Korean or something. It is definitely not Japanese. I'm not talking about the Katakana characters outside the flash window, but the white background inside the flash window itself, though it is very hard to see on some monitors.


12 of 23 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 42 user reviews »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Edit

Details

Country:

France | Japan

Language:

French | Japanese

Release Date:

12 March 2003 (France) See more »

Also Known As:

Bojaźń i drżenie See more »

Filming Locations:

Kyoto, Japan See more »

Edit

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,007, 21 November 2004

Gross USA:

$126,684

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,305,213
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color
See full technical specs »

Contribute to This Page

We've Got Your Streaming Picks Covered

Looking for some great streaming picks? Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist.

Visit our What to Watch page



Recently Viewed