The pristine image of the Japanese family is turned on its uber-polite head with surreal aplomb in this far out collection of hilarious vignettes. Set in the languid countryside, mom is an eccentric artist who eschews household chores for an animation project with occasional help from crazy grandpa. Meanwhile dad is just your everyday hypnotherapist. Their teenaged son suffers from hangups about the opposite sex while his little sister must contend with a doppelganger. Uncle is a groovy music producer on a respite whose ghostly past experiences still haunt him. Maverick director Katsuhito Ishii (who created the animated sequence in Kill Bill: Volume 1) pulled out all the stops for this endearing outré take on the Japanese psyche. Replete with non-stop irreverent gags, anime digressions, musical numbers and candy-coated lysergic passages, The Taste of Tea is, “a true delight that elevates feel-good cinema to a whole new level and charms from start to finish” (Screen Anarchy).
Presented in a new HD master supervised by the director.
This film can be used with loyalty cards or our 2026 annual CinemaSF passes
Pop-up Sale from On Waverly:
A cozy, thoughtfully curated shop and creative space in the heart of San Francisco’s historic Chinatown. Opened in December of 2023 by sisters Cynthia and Jennifer Huie, it’s a place that highlights the voices and talent of Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian artists, authors, and makers.