Doris Dörrie's latest film simultaneously wears its heart on its sleeve whilst pulling a few tricks out of it and as such it's probably advisable to know as little about it as possible before seeing it. The initial set up is that a woman is told that her husband is critically ill, but decides not to tell him, instead getting him to leave their country home and go and visit their children and grandchildren while they still can.

Hannelore Elsner plays the wife and does so with a beautifully restrained, subtle performance, which is more than matched by Elmar Wepper's turn in a role which is very difficult and delicate to balance. There are more standout performances in the ensemble, with Nadja Uhl (who is a/ following what should have been her break-out in Twin Sisters by seemingly carving out a niche for herself in snapping up small roles in internationally distributed films and b/ increasingly resembling Daniela Hantuchova the older she gets) playing the lesbian lover of one of the children who seems to be the only one who actively gives a damn about our couple, and especially Irizuki Aya who has a lot of focus once the story goes in another direction and has such a lovely presence.

Elmar Wepper & Irizuki Aya

Many films are recalled in the kind of story that is being told, there's a bit of Tokyo Story here, some hints of Ikiru there, and a touch of Lost in Translation thrown in for good measure. While on occasion some of the metaphors may be a bit obvious and oversimplified (the blossoms representing impermanence and a recurring theme of the Mayfly indicating making the most of a short time), where Cherry Blossoms hits most frequently and successfully though is the use of emotionally arresting imagery.

The way the film is presented is rather impressive, there is frequent use of hand-held camera yet the cinematography and editing in general are so smooth that there are none of the off-putting drawbacks the technique can create. There is the odd moment in linking montages where the editing jumps ahead of itself and it does seem at odds with the rest of the storytelling, but it only happens on a handful of occasions and never gets in the way of the drama. The score is lovely but if anything a tad underused, although that the film is so lyrical throughout without overplaying the sentiment through adding on too much music shows just how much emotion is on display here and also how well it is being examined.

While the film does tend to lose its way a little in the middle and lacks a bit of focus, the overt operatic nature of the feelings on show brings an emotional gravitas to the film which is enchanting. There are several interesting performances, aesthetically it's a pleasing film and on numerous occasions it is extremely moving. Dorrie goes straight for the heart and will capture far more than elude her with this lovely, strange, sweet little film.