Mana runs a business for a group of young people that provides elderly men a compelling combination sexual relief and ‘companionship’, through their service ‘Tea Friends.’ They simply put advertisements in the newspapers looking for tea friends which are catering to elderly men. This business strategy has made this rising business prosper and has greatly aided in building an excellent rapport between older and younger men. Once at a supermarket, Mana befriends Matsuko, who is an elderly shoplifter and provides her a job. Matsuko has now been able to overcome her diffidence of her age by feeling that she is wanted, and as a result has advanced and gained prominence in her new role as a tea girl. Nonetheless, some members of the team, like Mana, had verifiable history and certain events attracted media and law enforcement which could compromise all of the workers’ interests.
On the Koreeda issue, It is surely the case that the protagonists, although illegal in their actions, are performing beneficent activities, and This is exactly what is captured by the narrative of “Shoplifters”. Apart from this, however, “Tea Friends” is a whole other animal, and a quite rare film for that matter, as its plot actually focuses on the sexual needs and exploits of the elderly.
Bunji Sotoyama’s handling of the elderly sex workers is so gentle in its realism. It’s controversially one of the best traits of the movie. The narrative is intricately fused together, which makes it possible to carry the movie from illustration to illustration, so it feels credible. The existence of elderly sex workers teaching Angola, or trying to solve weird customers together emerges from the story as rather novel Sotoyama. Elderly sex workers have their similarities with the young sex workers. Some aged women have the problem of strange customers while others only want younger women. Sotoyama gives all this an actual extra layer and shifts the focus onto the Mana. The reasons for her involvement in the whole business are the main storyline of the film. All in all this is a remarkable cinematic achievement and fascinating topic for discussion.
Of the best themes which can be covered in Matsuko’s story is the relationship held between Mana and Matsuko. As both ladies seek a shoulder to cry on, they find each other and start off with a very uneasy connection (prostitute and her pimp), which results in the most riveting part of the tale. To a large extent, this proficiency is also thanks to the performances of these two specific actresses. Rei Okamoto, cast as Mana, showcases the most undistinguished drama of the character a blend of panache with Tea Friends, sadness, bitterness and despair while with her family. In the reminiscence, Maki Isonishi turns Matsuko splendidly in her various roles, beginning with a purposeless woman, a purposeless woman who has Tea Friends, and later on, when almost towards the end of the film, Matsuko talks about the second purpose she finds, and this is probably the strongest point of the film.
The balance of transitions throughout the film is excellent, with Sotoyama turning in an appropriate presentation along with superb placement within the plot, the editing also emerges as one of the strongest aspects of the film. Furthermore, it allows for a suitable mid-tempo that is useful although again there is some more of that lagging in places like the middle part of the movie which begins to explain why the movie lasts 135 minutes. Last but not least, the picture has been trying to integrate too poorly for quite some time together, this means that Sotoyama has attended the work a little, which, however, is a problem quite poorly noticeable.
“Tea Friends”, while having some small shortcomings, unravels itself as a brilliant name, that does justice to an event that took place and was dramatized with a touch of realism intertwining with artistry and furthermore attacking both the government and society on how people get treated socially and generally.
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