Fear and Trembling
2003 · 107 MIN · IMDB 7.0 · 4,899 VOTES · DIR. Alain Corneau
Overview
Amélie, a young Belgian woman, having spent her childhood in Japan, decides to return to live there and tries to integrate in the Japanese society. She is determined to be a "real Japanese" before her year contract runs out, though it precisely this determination that is incompatable with Japanese humility. Though she is hired for a choice position as a translator at an import/export firm, her inability to understand Japanese cultural norms results in increasingly humiliating demotions. Though Amelie secretly adulates her, her immediate supervisor takes sadistic pleasure in belittling her all along. She finally manages to break Amelie's will by making her the bathroom attendant, and is delighted when Amelie tells her the she will not renew her contract. Amelie realizes that she is finally a real Japanese when she enters the company president's office "with fear and trembling," which could only be possible because her determination was broken by Miss Fubuki's systematic torture.
Dialogue Timeline — 1,204 lines
A SAMPLE ACROSS THE RUNTIME — EVERY LINE IS SEARCHABLE
00:02:17 I was born in Japan.
00:06:56 but my boss didn't tolerate questions.
00:11:06 I applied myself to this role: It was the only one I had.
00:14:33 No one can obey an order like that.
00:18:26 I was born during a snowstorm.
00:22:27 I liked my new job.
00:28:57 You're Belgian, aren't you?
00:32:26 Start over!
00:35:22 We couldn't wait for Mr Saitama to return.
00:38:29 She hated you getting a big promotion
00:41:51 I had reason to be offended by your attitude.
00:45:15 I reached "invoice serenity"
00:49:06 I swear I didn't!
00:52:01 You'll get used to it.
00:57:33 Well?
01:02:37 but I'm the one who reigns!
01:07:44 "Don't let her touch anything!"
01:12:09 Here's how you use this tool.
01:15:51 Not really, no.
01:19:08 with a monitor in the ladies' room.
01:25:14 our situations were similar.
01:28:55 To my dying day
01:32:41 Chocolate!
01:36:07 That's not true.