THE WITCH OF THE WEST IS DEAD

Directed By Shunichi Nagasaki

Review By Kim Jindra

When Mai, a stubborn, misunderstood, Japanese tween, in THE WITCH OF THE WEST IS DEAD, refuses to attend junior high school her over achieving parents send her to the country to live with her maternal grandmother.

Mai's grandmother, quietly portrayed by Sachi Parker, knows what it is like to be an outsider.  She is the English widow of a Japanese geologist, and professes to be a descendant of witches.  She allows Mai time to commune with nature and at the same time bewitches her into helping with the chores.    Mai is intrigued by her grandmother and agrees to follow a daily regimen to become "a witch in training".

Mai learns jam making, vegetable and herb gardening, acceptance, decision making and responsibility.

This is a beautifully shot film.  The attention to detail is reminiscent of Terrence Malick's DAYS OF HEAVEN and BADLANDS.  Parker is a revelation.  I wanted to crawl into the film and sit at her knee.   It is sweet without being sappy. Life's lessons are taught in a natural, unencumbered way.  And, even though a misunderstanding between Mai and her grandmother leads to heartache and an ending that's a stretch, I wanted to believe it could happen.