Directed by the legendary producer/publisher/director Haruki Kadokawa, Mio's Cookbook (Mio-Tsukushi Ryouri-Chou) is an intimate film starring Honoka Matsumoto as Mio. Honoka Matsumoto starred in a film in 2019 called "Mio On The Shore" another quiet intimate film where she also played a character named Mio.
Japan makes a lot of narrative feature films about food, I'm not sure if there's a name for this genre, I just call them FOODIE movies. They are a bit like Western evangelical films but instead of Jesus it's food that brings salvation and people together. Set in the Edo Era young Mio has come from Osaka after surviving a tragic childhood and has settled in Edo (Tokyo). She works as a cook for a kindly resturaunt owner but the Edo patrons are not fond of her style of regional cooking, and this leads Mio to doubt herself. Mio's dish is chawamushi, a kind of egg custard filled with goodies like seafood.
This is definitely a slice-of-life film, a bit coming-of-age with most of the drama in the form of ghosts from the past. A subplot concerns Yoshiwara, Edo's red-light pleasure quarters. Mio has gentleman suitors but Mio's main goal is to create a delicious meal. Honoka Matsumoto commands the screen even though Mio is a very inward, quiet character. It is not the type of role that asks for dramatic fireworks but a calm soulfulness and Honoka Matsumoto pulls it off well. It is an old fashioned film, pleasant yet bittersweet and visually looks great in an old-fashioned wide screen way with many candle lit scenes. Kadokawa directs with a steady hand.
Japan makes a lot of narrative feature films about food, I'm not sure if there's a name for this genre, I just call them FOODIE movies. They are a bit like Western evangelical films but instead of Jesus it's food that brings salvation and people together. Set in the Edo Era young Mio has come from Osaka after surviving a tragic childhood and has settled in Edo (Tokyo). She works as a cook for a kindly resturaunt owner but the Edo patrons are not fond of her style of regional cooking, and this leads Mio to doubt herself. Mio's dish is chawamushi, a kind of egg custard filled with goodies like seafood.
This is definitely a slice-of-life film, a bit coming-of-age with most of the drama in the form of ghosts from the past. A subplot concerns Yoshiwara, Edo's red-light pleasure quarters. Mio has gentleman suitors but Mio's main goal is to create a delicious meal. Honoka Matsumoto commands the screen even though Mio is a very inward, quiet character. It is not the type of role that asks for dramatic fireworks but a calm soulfulness and Honoka Matsumoto pulls it off well. It is an old fashioned film, pleasant yet bittersweet and visually looks great in an old-fashioned wide screen way with many candle lit scenes. Kadokawa directs with a steady hand.
