Fear and Trembling

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November 19, 2004 --

FEAR AND TREMBLING

Tokyo story.

In Japanese, with English subtitles. Running time: 102 minutes. Not rated
(brief nudity). At the Cinema Village, 12th Street, east of Fifth Avenue.

'FEAR and Trembling," a biting comedy set in Tokyo by French writer-director Alain Corneau, is the
perfect companion piece to Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation."

Credit Sylvie Testud, who is delectable as Amelie, a Belgian who spent her first five years in Japan and
speaks the language flawlessly.

Now in her 20s, she lands a coveted job as a translator at a giant Tokyo corporation. But she's unable to
navigate the country's complex social mores and corporate etiquette.

You'd think Amelie's knowledge of Japanese would be a plus; instead, she frightens clients who are afraid of
Western spies, and is ordered to "forget" she can speak the language.

Other "crimes" include having too much fun changing the office calendars (she does it samurai style) and
distributing the morning mail without getting a superior's approval.

Worse, she makes the mistake of trying to comfort her immediate boss, an exceptionally tall Japanese
woman named Fubuki (model Kaori Tsuji), after she has been berated by her boss.

What Amelie meant as kindness turns out to be a cultural no-no, and she's soon assigned to clean the men's
and women's toilets.

"Fear and Trembling" — based on a best-selling autobiographical novel by Amelie Nothomb — is hilarious
from first frame to last.

It would not be fun to work for Amelie's sadistic bosses, who bellow rather than speak, but watching their
outrageously petty behavior on-screen is a delight.

Corneau could not have worked his magic without Testud — France's brightest young star — as fragile
Amelie, who refuses to be beaten down by corporate drudgery.

You go, girl!

Source: http://www.nypost.com/movies/34452.htm