Strange and darkly funny culture-clash comedy.
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02/25/05
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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
From its snarky water-cooler comedy to its satisfying dabblings in feminism, the movie has a championship heart in Testud, an electric screen presence any audience will follow as willingly as the camera tracks her marvelously expressive features.
02/17/05
A captivating tale of corporate degradation and eventual liberation.
02/17/05
A smart, funny tale of thwarted dreams and impossible humiliation.
02/17/05
One of the film's pleasures is its unanswered mysteries.
01/21/05
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.
01/21/05
Whether grunting like a sumo, dueling with a copy machine, or cartwheeling naked across the office at midnight, Telstud keeps the film firmly on the endearing side of quirky.
01/20/05
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12/03/04
In what is essentially a two-actress vehicle, Ms. Testud and Ms. Tsuji are letter-perfect in capturing all the shadings of their characters' passionately perverse relationship.
11/29/04
Top CriticA sleek and sublimely deadpan comedy of Japanese corporate manners.
11/19/04
Hilarious from first frame to last.
11/19/04
A marvelous cross between Secretary and Lost in Translation.
11/19/04
Top CriticAlain Corneau's psychodrama is the latest movie to explore (and to exploit) Western fascination with Japan.
11/18/04
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
A 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
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
Offers a fascinating take on the intricate office politics and hierarchical system of honour and duty that pervades the Japanese corporate landscape.
09/25/04
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