Sweet Bean & Welcome Drinks - Sunday 11th September 4:15pm

The film club autumn season starts again on Sunday 11 September: it is always amazing how quickly the summer goes by; this year it seems even quicker to me as I feel I am still waiting for it to begin! So we hope to make you forget the disappointing weather with a beautiful, gentle Japanese opener; Sweet Bean brings us a growing friendship between Sentaro (a seller of sweet bean 'sandwiches'), Tokue (his new 76 year old chef) and Wakana, a teenage customer. Director Naomi Kawase lets these relationships sprout, whilst keeping a darker secret underneath the surface: "The movie, beautifully shot and acted, earns its ultimate sense of hope by confronting real heartbreak head-on, and with compassion" – Glenn Kenny, New York Times. I hope that you will agree with Aine O'Connor in the Irish Sunday Independent that this is "A subtle treat... an unusual and interesting gentle pleasure".

The film starts at 5.00pm, but we start the season with our usual free drink at 4.15pm to get you in the mood; see you there!

- Vaughan