The characters from the screenshot did not take the wrong subway on the way to filming The Transformers. They are among the several eccentric characters from The Taste of Tea, newly released on DVD in the U.S. The title suggests an older Japanese film, with serious people and lots of tea ceremonies. While there is a lot of tea drinking, it is usually when the members of this oddball family get together.

Little Sachiko is followed around by her giant doppelganger, while her teenage brother Hajime finds himself in love with the new girl at school. Mom is an anime artist looking to return to work, using Grandpa as her model for her superhero characters. Dad is a hypnotherapist with a manga artist brother who would rather be a pop singer. The film is a quiet comedy interspersed with some surreal and very funny moments.

Writer-director Katsuhito Ishii was one of the artists responsible for the anime sequence in Kill Bill, Vol. I. The Taste of Tea is more contemplative, with only a few frenetic moments. Ishii’s most recent film, the critically acclaimed Funky Forest will hopefully get a DVD release in the U.S. soon. The Taste of Tea is recommended to those with adventurous tastes in film. Unlike most of recent Japanese films made available, there are no lonely ghosts seeking revenge or lonely gangsters seeking revenge. There is one brief, and hilarious, bit of violence seen in a parody of Japanese reality television. The Taste of Tea slowly works on the viewer, and like a good cup of tea, is served with just the right amount of flavoring.