Director Alain Corneau refrains from turning some of the bosses -- and their actions -- into caricatures. Even Amelie is never made to appear as a victim, just victimized.
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01/21/05
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Fear and Trembling (2004)
91
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:34
Fresh:31
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7.3/10
Consensus: This tale of culture clash is by turns downbeat and hilarious.
Theatrical Release:Nov 19, 2004 Limited
Synopsis: When a Belgian woman (Sylvie Testud) takes a job as a translator in a Japanese firm, she's in for quite a climb up and down the ladder of social acceptance and corporate success. At last, she finds... [More]
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Reviews for Fear and Trembling
A marvelous cross between Secretary and Lost in Translation.
11/19/04
Top CriticA fascinating French film set in Japan about power in the workplace and the yearning that fuels a cross-cultural experience.
11/18/04
Testud, who appears to be fluent in the Japanese language, throws herself into this role and is wickedly funny as she flounders in the perverse environment
05/15/05
The movie is slight but in a way that makes it the opposite of pushy; it's companionably easy to laugh with.
03/16/05
Offers a mostly fascinating look at Japanese culture as seen through narrowly focused Western eyes.
03/18/05
Top Critic... subtly sexual and erotic, despite the fact that every scene takes place in the office and there is not a single overt sexual act or word or gesture or reference.
06/24/05
Top CriticA captivating tale of corporate degradation and eventual liberation.
02/17/05
Top CriticMoves swiftly and builds to a satisfying conclusion.
03/24/05
Testud is nothing short of sublime.
03/17/05
A sleek and sublimely deadpan comedy of Japanese corporate manners.
11/19/04
A mindboggling view into the heart of Japan
07/30/05
Its cultural baggage is sketchy, but the film remains a funny, depressingly honest look at the soul-sucking drudgery of the corporate workspace.
11/09/04
The best office comedy since Office Space.
08/05/05
Top CriticOne of the film's pleasures is its unanswered mysteries.
01/21/05
A shrewd but spiky satire about corporate bureaucracy and Japanese social stratification.
06/03/05
Strange and darkly funny culture-clash comedy.
02/25/05
The film is more ambiguous about its characters' desire than it needs to be.
05/20/05
Top CriticHilarious from first frame to last.
11/19/04
Top CriticA film that professes a deep respect for the Japanese culture and then renders its Japanese characters as a bunch of screeching ninnies.
11/16/04
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