Intercultural German Film Series, featuring “Cherry Blossoms” (Kirschblüten—Hanami), preceded by the short film “Dark Red” (Dunkelrot)

German graduate students, in collaboration with the Japanese section of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, are pleased to present two films in German, Japanese, and English, with English subtitles.

The screening takes place in Busch 100 on Thursday, March 21, beginning at 6pm and is followed by a conversation with Dr. Rebecca Copeland, Professor of Japanese Language and Literature and Head of the Japanese Section; and Dr. Lynne Tatlock, Chair of Germanic Languages and Literatures, and Director of Comparative Literature. Frauke Thielecke will briefly introduce her short film before the main feature.

Enjoy free snacks and beverages!

“Cherry Blossoms” (2008, 122 min)

Award-winning German filmmaker Doris Dörrie directs this tender, emotionally intense story of marital love, loss and mourning, contrasting social dynamics and cultural traditions in Germany and Japan. Unexpected plot turns take us from Bavaria to settings in Berlin and the Baltic Sea, then to Tokyo and Mount Fuji. New relationships are formed despite characters’ language differences, and creativity becomes a means of transforming difficult family dynamics and individual grief. Dörrie cites Yasujirō Ozu’s 1953 film “Tōkyō Monogatari” as inspiration. Learn more about “Chery Blossoms” here. View film trailer here.

“Dark Red” (2008, 12 min)

Directed by Frauke Thielecke, a current student in the Comparative Literature PhD program and the International Writers Track, this story, too, explores new challenges facing a long-married couple. Hannah and Erich, in their sixties, could live a happy and comfortable life, had Hannah not been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Erich, however, has come to terms with this situation—until one day an unexpected revelation puts his love to the test.

For additional information, please reach out to Intercultural German Film Series Co-Curators Sylvia Sukop (ssukop@wustl.edu) and Kader Gray (g.kader@wustl.edu), cc’ing german@wustl.edu.