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STUPEUR ET TREMBLEMENTS/FEAR AND TREMBLING

Based on Amélie Nothomb’s autobiographical novel, Alain Corneau’s new film stars Sylvie Testud as a young Belgian woman, Amélie, who goes to work as a low-level employee at a Japanese company. Her attempts at understanding Japanese business culture are spotty at best, and her constant missteps put her at odds with her boss, Miss Mori (Kaori Tsuji as a corporate ice queen). They enter into a weirdly symbiotic S&M relationship, with Miss Mori giving Amélie increasingly demeaning office tasks, to which she thrills with determined subservience. Testud and Tsuji tear into their roles, giving depth to what could otherwise become cartoonish, and the intricate and delicate workings of Japanese corporate culture are fascinating, though the Japanese characters, aside from Miss Mori, never rise above cliché. Amélie’s apparent awareness of Japanese customs makes her gaffes all the more startling, and her stated desire to advance her career is at odds with her willingness to be demeaned. By never leaving the office building, Corneau creates a happy little world in which this drama can be played out. In French and Japanese with English subtitles. (107 minutes)

BY BROOKE HOLGERSON

Issue Date: May 20 - 26, 2005
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