Cherry Blossoms
I always wanted to go to Japan with him.
Just to see Mt. Fuji once. The cherry blossoms. With him.
Because seeing anything without my husband, I can't even imagine that.
That would be like not really seeing it.
How can I go on living without him?
We wanted to talk it over with you first.
If you think your husband can cope with the diagnosis...
people react differently...
How the disease progresses is hard to tell.
It could be that your husband won't even have any symptoms for a long time K
You might want to think about doing something together...
a trip...
something a little adventurous...
My husband hates adventures.
He'd prefer it if nothing changed. Ever.
Nothing. At all.
Every day he takes the 7:28 train to Weilheim.
He used to work at the passport office.
Now he's the head of the waste management department.
Recycling is good. Reusables are better.
He's only been sick for one week in twenty years. 1991.
The flu and an eardrum infection.
He eats the sandwich that I make for him at 1 pm every day and his apple.
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away." He says that every morning.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Hello, Rudi.
How was your day?
So so...
Yours?
Okay.
Aren't you hungry? - No.
Down more, Elke!
And with a smile, please!
Everything goes easier with a smile.
And peppy! And down!
Back already?
Karl Angermeier, leave messages after the beep. Thanks.
Yes, Karl. This is Mama.
I... I wanted to... it's...
everything's okay. Talk to you soon.
Want to visit the children in Berlin?
Berlin? I don't know.
What if we finally went to Japan?
You know... Fuji's just another mountain.
Yes, but we could visit Karl.
It'd be cheaper if he visited us.
Oh, Rudi!
Shall we go on?
I'm hungry.
Nothing to eat?
Rudi, we haven't been underway for 5 minutes.
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
You want it?
No, not me.
I'll eat it later.
Imagine... the train stops in Hanau for 2 minutes...
so if you don't get off fast...
He wanted to meet us on the platform!
What time is it? Look at your watch.
I'll give him 5 minutes and then
we'll take a taxi or something.
Hey!
Well...
Where were we? - Where were you, Klaus?
Track 11...
That's where the train arrived. - Track 11. We were there.
Klausi, hi. Klausi... - Hi, Mama.
We waited for 20 minutes.
I waited for 20 minutes!
What? - I'm fine.
Let me take it. - No.
Straight ahead.
Mama, the flower bed!
Mami, can't you watch out!
Hello, we're... oh!
Hi.
Hello, Emma.
Hallo.
Robert, Celine!
How about a kiss?
Robert!
Have a seat. We baked a cake.
Bought one.
Ah! - Let them.
Thanks.
Gameboy or cake? - Let them play.
Who'd like coffee? - No coffee for me. A beer maybe.
Uh...
Then forget it.
Okay.
Forgive the intrusion. Mama had the sudden urge to visit all of you.
One after the other.
Karl too? That's great!
No, not Karl. Unfortunately.
Why not? That would be so nice.
Maybe next year. After I retire...
You'll have plenty of time.
You okay?
It just went down the wrong way.
Need some water? - No, I'm fine.
Hey, where have you been? - Sorry! Hi.
Why did they decide to come, out of the blue like this?
No idea.
How long are they staying? - They didn't say.
I have no time.
You think we do?
Hello!
Rudi, not now.
They have to go in the fridge.
Thanks, Pop. I've only been a vegetarian for six years.
We'll take them. We love them.
But aren't they traditionally supposed to be eaten before noon?
No, no, they have to be eaten this evening.
Alright then, we'll have them tonight.
You poor thing, we're taking your room away from you.
It's okay.
You don't like them, do you?
Not really.
Thanks.
So, more sausage. - Thanks.
Want to go sightseeing tomorrow?
I'll drive you around a little, okay?
Show you the city.
Oh yes.
And then we'll visit you for coffee. - Yeah. Great.
Mama wanted to see some dance performance...
Oh, God, do we all have to go?
A famous Butoh dancer from Japan is in town.
Butoh, what's that? - A modern Japanese dance form...
Have another beer?
Bring me one too?
But I don't have to go. - Sure you do.
Let's do something we'd all like to do.
We'd love to go with you.
Okay, Mama! Come on.
Please. "The Mayfly".
Go on, Mama.
Mama, Please recite it for us.
Come on, Mama, please!
"Stop! What you're doing is murder
"Such cruelty is not a must
"The mayfly has but one short day
"One single day of pain
One single day of lust." - "One single day of lust"
"Oh, let it hover there. Until it meets its end.
Its heaven lasts forever. Its life one day to make amends."
Right, Mama?
Stop it!
Okay, it's set! - Look at the birdy.
Come on. - It's blinking.
Hurry!
Everybody smile.
Say 'ant shit'!
Papa, smile, too! - I'm smiling already.
That doesn't matter.
Celine, don't you want to... - She's not part of the family.
Exactly. - Take the sunglasses off!
Come on! Okay, everybody.
Everbody look in the camera...
And now!
Yeahhh!
You're doing a great job.
A little more.
You're good.
Where'd you learn that?
I don't know. From me.
From you!
But I can't anymore.
Thank you.
It was great.
What a massage.
See, now he feels great.
I forgot to offer your parents some.
Karl always sends them.
I don't touch mine.
I'd rather eat yours. - How sweet!
They are good! Hmmn?
Oh, it just occurred to me.
I have a meeting all day tomorrow.
You're a pain! - I don't believe it.
What'll we do with them?
All you politicians do is sit on your butts!
You told them you'd show them around!
Sorry, but I just fogot!
I don't have time.
No way. I'm having them for coffee and cake. That's plenty.
They're staying with us.
They're driving me nuts already.
Hey, they just arrived.
I hate myself for it but they drive me crazy.
I go whacko in seconds.
Oh, God and I killed a fly.
That was bad.
Yes, I know. Thanks for your support, dear. It was bad.
Yeah, "The Mayfly".
Right. And the only one of us they're interested in is Karl.
Hmm?
I just said they're only interested in Karl anyway.
That's always how it was. - What I do doesn't interest them at all.
You think they care about what I do?
"Look at Karl! Isn't he cute!
Look at what he made and isn't it nice the way he play...
Klaus, Leave Karl Alone! Go away!"
No. Remember? "Karo! Klausi! Let Karli play...
Hi, sweetie! - Hey.
What's the matter? - I can't sleep!
I want to be in my room.
Yes, darling, I know. They're not staying long.
How long?
Forever!
Are you tired?
No, not really. - Niether am I.
Well...
I'm glad they're all doing well. - Yes.
Funny.
I can remember them so well as children
but now I simply don't know who they are.
Disappointed in them?
I just don't know them anymore.
Well, they're all healthy.
You can't expect too much.
HAPPY AT THE PARK
How long are they staying? - No idea.
You have to look after them!
How? I don't have the time.
I like your parents. I wish mine were like yours.
Sure, you don't know them well.
We could get them tickets for the show in the Friedrichstadtpalast.
My mother hates revues.
She's really gotten old.
Wow.
Yeah, strange how people change.
I wonder what we'll be like.
No idea.
We just won't get old.
What are they doing today?
I can't.
What the hell are we going to do with them?
No, no, no
Please.
So now you're going to meow or what?
Please...
No. I have to go to the upholsterer. I don't have time.
I don't either.
No, really, I have too much to do.
No! No. - Please. Please.
No. No. - Please.
Please.
So...
Come on. She's here.
So now I'll show you our old apartment. Karo and I lived up there.
Right over the bar. Very practical. And a disaster.
But it wasn't renovated then. We heated with coal.
Oh, man, okay! Alright already!
Sorry! Yeah, and fuck you, too, asshole!
To your left the golden dome of the synagogue.
And straight ahead our beautiful TV tower. Look!
Wow, that must have cost. What a cake!
We never bought cake at home, did we, Mama?
Thanks for today, Franzi.
We saw a lot of the city. Thanks.
Thanks!
Did you have a nice time? - Very nice, yes.
This is good beer. I hardly ever drink beer anymore.
Thank goodness.
And Karl? Does he still drink?
How should I know?
Karl never drank very much.
Oh, yes he did. Like a fish for a while.
That's absolutely not true. - Nonsense!
Does Karli have a girlfriend in Tokyo?
Mama, you call him all the time. Ask him next time:
"So Karli, how's it going? Still boozing and what about chicks?"
So, what'll we do now?
What would you like to?
You're both probably tired and want to go straight to bed.
It's not even six?
We could cook something.
No, Franzi, you've done enough.
Let's go, Rudi.
Want us to drive you home?
No.
Franzi!
Let us take the S-Bahn...
a little big city flair for us country bumpkins...
Take care.
Come here.
See you tomorrow.
Tomorrow?
We have a date. - Aha.
Papa!
So long! - Bye!
Bye, Mama.
Are you coming?
Let's have some wine.
Let's drink something. Come on.
I'm awful... - No!
Where do we have to go? Herrmannsdorf?
What?
Berlin Center. Where is it? Has to be in the center somewhere.
Give me some change.
How much?
The train's leaving! You'd know it!
It won't go in. - Try it again...
It won't take it. How am I supposed to buy a ticket?
Try this...
It won't go in. It doesn't work.
That's Berlin for you. - Rudi, I think you need paper money.
They're out of their minds. A machine and no tickets come out.
Wait... Berlin AB, just what I said.
What now?
We need one more.
So now we have one ticket for either you or me or what?
Read what it says "Two people can't use one ticket." Look here!
You can't even pay here.
Am I supposed to walk? Or you? Or one of us doesn't pay or what?
Rudi, don't get so excited.
I'm not excited. I'm furious.
I think I want to go home.
Oh, Rudi...
The kids don't have any time for us.
The Baltic isn't far. - Hmm?
When was the last time we were at the beach?
At the beach?
I can't remember either.
1987? With the kids?
Or was that Lake Garda?
You want to go to the beach?
Yes, would you?
If you want to. - But what do you want?
I always do whatever you say...
The beach isn't what it used to be, either.
You old grouch. Aren't you cold?
You know what?
Slip in there.
What? - It's warm. Go on.
Tomorrow we'll get up early and take a long walk on the beach.
What? You want to take a walk?
Wonderful!
I'd like my ashes to be scattered at sea.
What makes you say that?
Nothing. Don't you ever think about that?
Really? Well, I do every now and then. How much time we have left...
Rudi...
You're right. One ought not think about it...
We've been lucky so far.
Assuming we didn't have much time left, what would you like to do?
Ah, that line: Live every day as if it were your last.
What nonsense. What else should you do?
Let me tell you: I wouldn't do anything differently. Nothing.
I'd go to work in the morning and come home to you in the evening.
That's what I'd do.
Yes.
Can't you sleep?
The surf is so loud.
And now that. - Come on, Rudi!
It's nice.
You are and always will be loony.
Oh, come on!
What on earth are you doing?
Come on. You can't sleep anyway.
Cut it out!
Dancing in the middle of the night? Other people are asleep.
What's with you? - Nothing. Nothing at all.
What's wrong? Have you had enough?
Didn't you sleep well?
I didn't but you did. - Me? Not one second.
You slept like a log.
Let's go home.
We've seen Berlin, we've seen the Baltic,
and we've seen the children. Let's go home.
I thought you'd be glad to see your children.
I don't know them. They don't know me.
Our children are better than most.
Yes, we're fortunate.
We have each other. That's real happiness.
What is it?
Nothing.
I just didn't get a good night's sleep.
Whenever I woke up you were sound asleep.
How calm the sea is.
As if was always that way.
It's time to rise and shine! Come on! Get up you lazybones!
Trudi...
Papa, Karl's here.
The sea is so calm.
Come on.
I can't stand her lying in that box in there.
I haven't seen her for so long and now I'll never see her again.
I should've visited her. Or at least flown her to Tokyo.
I never did anything for her.
And now there's nothing I can do.
We have to look after Papa now.
And how am I supposed to do that? - I understand.
We never went to the beach when we were kids.
No, always to the mountains, right?
We were in Italy once.
But not at the beach. - Lake Garda.
Grosglockner. We took the Grosglockner pass over the Alps, right, Papa?
Yeah. We all got carsick
but Mama had a plastic bag for each of us.
She was so full of life back then.
How old was she?
A little older than we are now.
She devoted almost her entire life to you kids and me.
She wouldn't have put it that way.
Want me to go with you?
It's just not right. It's not fair. She can't just leave him alone with us.
I don't think she planned it like that. - Yes, I know.
Mama would've been able to get along... No problem there.
But him? What are we supposed to do with him?
When are you flying back?
I can't stay long. My flight leaves tomorrow afternoon from Berlin.
We have to get back, too.
So do we. The kids are at the neighbors.
Who has the bag?
What bag?
The bag with her things. I'd like to have the kimono if you all don't mind.
She always used to have it on in the kitchen. No.
Yes.
It's all over. And it's impossible to even imagine beforehand.
If I had known it would end so suddenly,
I would have been nicer to her.
Papa, nobody can know that.
Thanks for us to be able to sit here like this.
She would have been very happy you came, Karl.
What are you going to do now?
I'll have to get used to it.
Don't worry about me.
Thanks.
Emma, give me a little more wine.
Excuse me.
My condolences. - Thank you.
And this must be Karolin.
No, no, Karolin is in Berlin. And our youngest is in Japan.
Ah, yes. And Klaus? Where is Klaus?
He has a very important meeting. - I see.
My condolences.
My condolences. My condolences.
The dance performance was what she enjoyed most in Berlin.
She said she'd never met a nicer girl than you.
I'm not that nice. I don't know why she thought that of me.
She told me about how she always wanted to dance,
to become a really good Butoh dancer, more than anything else in her life...
and how she would've liked to go to Japan so much to study it there
and how everything turned out differently
and that it was a good life but... Not that you think that she wasn't happy.
No... I thought... maybe there's another woman in her...
that nobody saw...
and I saw that other person... that's all...
That's her?
I didn't like it. It was so... so extreme.
It embarrassed me... I didn't want her to keep it up...
We locked her up in here.
But she was happy here.
For sure.
I don't know.
Goodbye.
All the best. - Thanks.
Have a good trip! - Okay!
One hundred Views of Mt. Fuji.
Trudi, where are you?
Where?
Papa. - Ah!
I thought you'd forgotten me. Hi.
I couldn't get away earlier.
How are you? Was the flight okay? - Fine.
Papa, come on.
You have to take your shoes off.
Oh, yes.
Wait...
There.
I brought my own. - Okay.
It's not exactly big.
No.
Want something to drink?
Mama always sent you this.
You can't get bread like this in Japan and the sausages.
And these, two flavors.
Papa, I have to get back to the office.
What exactly do you do?
I've never quite understood...
Nice of you to ask after five years. I crunch numbers.
What you do with garbage fees. I do pretty much the same thing as you.
Look... Radio, air conditioner, satellite receiver, TV.
See you this evening, okay?
I'll be back around six.
My dear Karl, here's the second stanza:
Oh, let it hover there until it meets its end
lts heaven lasts forever It's life one day to make amends
Want something else? - No, it's fine.
We'll think something out for you tomorrow. I have to go out later tonight.
Okay.
I'm sorry that I have such little time but I didn't have much warning.
I don't want to get on your nerves. - Come on, don't even say that.
Why didn't the two of you ever visit me?
We thought we had time.
I think I kept your mother from what was most important to her.
You can't do things for the dead.
Papa...
Look, here's some yen. I'll pick you up later.
Don't move from here. I don't want you to get lost. Look,
I work over there. - Which building?
Next to the black one. So, I'll pick you up later. Bye.
Uh... beer.
Thank you.
Ahungu what?
Nein, I'm, I'm not understand.
Oh, no, es ist, it's good, it's good.
Hey! Where were you? Are you crazy?
I was so worried. I thought I'd lost you for good.
Unbelievable!
The doorbells, I couldn't read them.
Who told you to go anywhere?
You can't read anything here.
I told you to stay put. - I don't understand anything.
I told you to stay where you were.
Do you have any idea how big this city is?
How easy it is to get lost?
Hi, Papa. - Hello.
How was your day? - So so.
Didn't you go out? - No.
Know how my cell works?
Look,
here. Just one button.
I saw it. It has a picture of you. - Right.
Look, that's my phone number.
Did you eat anything? - Yes.
No, you didn't.
I don't understand where Trudi is.
Where her body is.
My memories of her are in my body,
but when my body's no longer here, where will Trudi be then?
Papa... Papa, I'm grieving for Mama, too...
but... really...
Don't tell me life goes on. Please.
Come on, now!
You know, this is Bavarian Style.
This is Bavarian Style.
Cherry blossoms... The most beautiful symbol for impermanence...
They'e only here for a few days.
And then they're gone.
That's it.
Papa, that's my Papa!
Nice, huh, Papa!
Kampai, kampai, kampai!
Don't treat me like a child!
It's bedtime.
This will be the first time you've ever put me to bed.
You of all people! Hilarious!
How can anyone get so loaded?
Everyone always has to look after you. - Come on now.
You always have to be the center of attention.
Give me your arm!
Be considerate of your father! Your poor father!
Leave your father alone! He's tired!
He works so hard! Works his ass off in the office!
So, that's enough.
You spent your entire life hiding in your office!
You never even really knew Mama!
You have no idea who she was!
No idea, you old fool, you.
Get out!
Go back to your garbage trucks, that's where you belong.
And don't forget to recycle!
"An Apple a day, keeps a doctor away."
So... So.
So, I have to go.
Wait... Here.
Oh, Papa.
Stop. Your apple.
"An apple a day, keeps the doctor away." ...keeps the doctor away.
Bye.
So long.
What is this?
Metal.
Plastic. Plastic. Metal. Metal.
Paper. Paper.
So, Trudi, that's for you.
Papa, what are you doing in the dark?
Nothing.
And? So what did you do today?
Nothing special.
But you can't just do nothing all day.
I have a lot to do. I remember.
I think about your mother.
Show her Tokyo.
Oh.
What about a sightseeing tour?
Is it far to Mt. Fuji?
About two hours.
I'd take you if I had time
but people here work weekends, too.
Did you know that "ah so" in Japanese is "ah so"?
Free - free Hugs.
Free? - Yeah.
Money?
No Money. It's all free.
What, what is?
Thank you. - Thank you.
Okay.
Good-bye. - Thank you.
...listen to me...
No. Yes.
Here's not here for a change.
He's driving me crazy.
He sits around here all day long.
I don't know what to do with him.
He's already been on every sightseeing tour in town.
I can't come up with a program for him every day. I just don't have the time.
I'm sorry, but he's really getting on my nerves.
And he's behaving so strangely.
Did you know that he brought all his money?
Yes and he brought Mama's clothes, too. Yes, really.
I don't know but I think he needs therapy. He can't cope.
Yes but I can't cope either.
You'll have to take him.
Or Klaus.
No... but now it's your turn...
How long have you been there?
Let me just stay here with you a little longer. Just a little. Please.
Sure.
I'm sorry.
Excuse me...
are you a dancer?
Butoh dancer?
Yes.
I have a question...
Ask me.
Butoh is dance of shadow.
Not me dance. Shadow dance.
Watch. And your shadow dance.
I don't know who is the shadow.
Hello! Hello! Who are you?
No answer.
Everybody can dance Butoh. - No.
Yes. Yes.
Everybody can.
Everybody has shadow.
Young and old.
Woman and man.
And everybody alive. And everybody dead.
The same time.
I dance with the dead.
Who is dead?
My mother.
When?
Yesterday, one year.
She loves the telephone. Pink telephone.
Always on the phone with family.
My wife, too. Much telephone.
Three children. Always telephone.
Now, I am on the phone with my mother.
All the time.
She is in me.
Where is your wife?
I don't know.
I don't know where she is.
You feel the memory, the past, past memory.
And - we feel the wind.
And always see your...
And hold - hold - hold - yes, hold!
And you find the many shadow.
Inside of you.
And shadows gone
Yes, yes. Hold - hold - hold - catch!
Catch the shadow. And feel the shadow.
Dance is better without the coat.
No.
It... it's not me.
It's my wife.
What's your name?
Yu.
Not me. You!
I am Yu.
You are me?
No, my name is Yu! - Oh.
What is your name?
Rudi.
Rudi? Rudi... Rudi!
Yes. Rudi.
Rudi!
So... in here... and-
Oh, train is coming!
You take this.
Okay, goodbye! See you!
Cabbage?
Mino.
White cabbage.
Cabbage. Cabbage.
Okay. Thanks. And a...
Goodbye!
It works.
It works!
So... What did she do?
So... Mama's recipe.
I have to go out.
One.
Thanks.
That's two. - Sure.
Thanks.
Enjoy! - Thanks.
I miss Mama so.
And after going as far away as I could
so I wouldn't be so dependent on her.
And where did I go?
To the place she always wanted to go to.
And now she never saw it.
There are no flies here.
What?
Flies.
I haven't seen a single fly here.
That's right.
Now happy together. Not separate.
Very good. You make?
Yes. From my wife.
Uh, Uh, you take ahm, the Kohl, am, na, ah,
I don't know the word in English, ah,
and the kohl and then you ah, ...einrollen...
roll the, you roll the kohl... roll...
Now, two cabbage rolls.
Where you live? Uh... Home.
Me? Home? - Yes.
Oh, another direction.
Where is that... other direction?
Not, not here, maybe you don't know. - Where?
I'm okay. - Yes, okay.
Are you okay? - I'm okay.
Okay. See you. - Okay.
Okay, take care.
Hello. You are late so much.
Why?
Sorry, I...
I waited.
My home. In winter much snow.
Snow, snow snow.
Where do you live?
In a tent? No.
Camping. Me and my wife in summer all the time Autobahn.
My wife did'nt like it very much...
My wife... like this.
Wildcat?
Wildcat. In a cage.
My mother like this.
A duck?
Up and down, up and down.
Happy and sad. Happy and sad.
Hello, mother.
Papa, you don't understand.
All day long I'm in a tiny office with other people.
When I get home at night I need a little space for myself.
She's almost still a child.
Papa, In Japan nobody her age has to live on the street.
It's her own choice.
Nobody chooses to live like that.
Papa, just believe me.
It's what she wants.
You're like a different person.
When did you become so callous? How did that happen?
Hello. - Hello.
My wife wants to go on trip.
Do you come with her?
Thank you.
You want?
This looks... uh, looks like raspberry ice cream, uh, an a ice.
Ice cream? - Ice, ice, of a berry.
Yeah, something...
What if we don't see him?
Him? Mr Mount Fuji? Is he a man?
Yes. Mr Mountain is very shy.
Now many clouds.
Very often he don't want us to see him.
Shy, very shy.
Where is Mr Mount Fuji?
I ask for her.
...Where is Fuji?
Aha.
No mountain.
So, I say to you he is very shy.
Shoes.
Oh, yes.
There are no beds. No bed.
Ah.
Good bed.
I go have dinner like this?
It's too tight? - No, no. No.
Good.
And this.
Ha.
Great.
...Beer...
Uh, what is this? - Chicken.
Hm? - Chicken.
Ah.
Hendl in German. - Hendl...
No!
Rudi? Rudi?
Rudi!
(FOR YOU, YU, FROM RUDl)
Thank you for everything you did for my father.
I did not do anything.
Your father happy now.
You think so?
Your father. Your mother.
Aha.
My condolences.
We're orphans now, in less than half a year.
It's all like a dream.
I can't even believe I'm here.
What you told us is so off the wall.
It doesn't sound like Papa.
He couldn't take Mama's death.
In a hotel.
With an eighteen-year-old girl.
In women's clothes.
Mama's clothes.
Maybe, at the end, he was happy.