Sweet Bean
Directed by Naomi Kawase
Sweet Bean is a delicious red bean paste, the sweet heart of the dorayaki pancakes that Sentaro (Masatoshi Nagase) sells from his little bakery to a small but loyal clientele. Absorbed in sad memories and distant thoughts, Sentaro cooks with skill but without enthusiasm. When seventy-six-year-old Tokue (Kirin Kiki) responds to his ad for an assistant and cheerfully offers to work for a ridiculously low wage, Sentaro is skeptical about the eccentric old lady's ability to endure the long hours. But when she shows up early one morning and reveals to him the secret to the perfect sweet bean paste, Sentaro agrees to take her on. With Tokue's new home cooked sweet bean paste recipe, Sentaro's business begins to flourish, but Tokue is afflicted with an illness that, once revealed, drives her into isolation once again.
Sweet Bean- New York Times Critics' Pick review
"Warm and unusually crowd-pleasing." -The Village Voice
"Naomi Kawase's gentle study of life, loss and confectionery is easily the Japanese auteur's most accessible work to date." -Variety
"Delightful, unfashionably earnest and, at its best, very moving." -Pop Matters
Etsuko Ichihara
Miyoko Asada
Kyara Uchida
Kirin Kiki
Kino Marquee was launched by Kino Lorber in March 2020 as a new initiative to create "virtual cinemas" for independent theaters temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. It offered audiences the opportunity to watch newly released films that these theaters would otherwise be playing on the big screen from the comfort and safety of their own homes.
We are thrilled that the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions has allowed many of these independent theaters to reopen their doors, and that our films can once again be watched on the big screen! In response, we have incorporated links to physical screenings into our listings on Kino Marquee. You can navigate to any film page on our site to see a list of venues showing the film with buttons for "In Theater" and "Virtual Cinema" options.
Join us in supporting your community's theater by watching award-winning international films, acclaimed documentaries, and restored classics on Kino Marquee. Whether you watch them in the theater or from home, you'll be directly supporting your local art house as all revenue from virtual cinemas is split 50/50 with them.
The rest of this FAQ is focused on virtual cinemas hosted on Kino Marquee. Any questions about in theater screenings or virtual cinemas hosted directly by your local art house should be directed to the theater.
To get your ticket, click the Screen button above. You’ll have to register for an account if you don’t already have one. After you’ve entered your payment information, your rental period will start immediately and last for five days. You can watch the film as many times as you want in those five days.
You can watch on your computer, phone, or most tablets. You can also download the Kino Now app for Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, or Apple TV (tvOS 9.0 or later). See below for more detailed information about app-based viewing options. All viewing methods require high bandwidth internet connection.
You must first purchase the film from your theater’s virtual cinema page on Desktop or Mobile. After doing that, please follow these steps to install the Kino Now app on your Apple TV (requires tvOS 9.0 or later).
Important: You will need to log in using the same email address and password you just created.
To install the Kino Now app for Apple TV, search for “Kino Now” in the app store and follow the instructions for installation.
Once installed, open the app and click the “Sign In” button. The app will ask for your email and Kino Now password.
This is a private showing of the film and is hidden from general view. To watch the film please access "My Library" on top of the page. Enjoy the film for five days from the time of purchase.
You must first purchase the film from your theater’s virtual cinema page on Desktop or Mobile. After doing that, please follow these steps to install the Kino Now app on your Roku.
To install the Kino Now app for Roku, click here. Or search for “Kino Now” in the app store and follow the instructions for installation.
The first time you open it, it may take an extended time for the app to load. You will be prompted with a code. Visit kinonow.com/activate to activate the app.
This is a private showing of the film and is hidden from general view. To watch the film please access "My Library" on top of the page. Enjoy the film for five days from the time of purchase.
You must first purchase the film from your theater’s virtual cinema page on Desktop or Mobile. After doing that, please follow these steps to install the Kino Now app on your Amazon Fire Stick.
Important: You will need to log in using the same email address and password you just created.
To install the Kino Now app for Amazon Fire Stick, click here. Or search for “Kino Now” in the app store. If the app does not open immediately upon installing, you can find it under “Apps and Channels.”
Under “Account,” either click “Sign in with Email” and enter the same email and password you used to purchase the film or click “Link Device” and you will be prompted with a code. Visit kinonow.com/activate to activate the app using this code.
This is a private showing of the film and is hidden from general view. To watch the film please access "My Library" from the Menu (three horizontal lines) on the top of the page. Enjoy the film for five days from the time of purchase.
We apologize if your device of choice is not currently supported. We are working on adding more ways to watch, but at this time cannot help further on other setup issues. Some customers have had luck with Chromecast and Airplay while others have not. We recommend you check your manufacturer instructions. Kino Marquee was set up very quickly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, so we appreciate your patience.
If you encounter insurmountable issues and cannot watch the film, we guarantee the purchase. For a refund, please write us at contact@kinonow.com with the movie title and the email address you used to make your purchase.
Very good question! If you’re landing on this page, we ask that you only rent the film if you are a customer of this theater. If that’s not the case, please visit kinomarquee.com and navigate to the relevant film page to see a list of theaters where it is playing. Let’s work together to keep all independent theaters healthy in this time of great uncertainty.