Nanayo (Nanayomachi) (2008)

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A woman in a strange land finds both physical and emotional solace under unexpected circumstances in this drama from writer and director Naomi Kawase. Saiko (Kyoko Hasegawa) is a thirty-something woman from Japan who is traveling in Thailand when she's convinced her cab driver Marvin (Kittipoj… More A woman in a strange land finds both physical and emotional solace under unexpected circumstances in this drama from writer and director Naomi Kawase. Saiko (Kyoko Hasegawa) is a thirty-something woman from Japan who is traveling in Thailand when she's convinced her cab driver Marvin (Kittipoj Mankang) is either lost or planning to take her to the middle of nowhere and rob her. Saiko jumps out of the cab and happens to find Greg (Gregoire Colin), a gentleman from France. While Saiko and Greg don't speak the same language, she comes to realize that he's part of a group who have come to Thailand to study massage with Amari (Netsai Todoroki), a nurturing woman who also happens to be Marvin's sister. Despite her inability to communicate with Amari and her students, Saiko is drawn to the gentle spirit and positive energy of the school, and decides to join them to learn more about the art of massage; in time, she also finds a powerful connection with a good-looking monk (Jun Murakami). Nanayo was an official selection at the 2008 Bangkok Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi