Gunnar is in the throes of an existential crisis. To medicate – or to celebrate – the crisis, he wants to build a Japanese tea room in the middle of a Norwegian forest.

Gunnar is a fan of Wabi-sabi: a Japanese philosophy finding beauty in imperfection. Its main ingredients are transience, modesty and unconventionality, and that’s what Gunnar’s tea room needs to be like. The construction timber needs to decay well enough for the coming winter to wipe away this symbol of the fragility of life.

Gunnar’s three suffering friends help with with the construction process. A bleeding intestine and some news from home remind Gunnar of his real, imperfect life – the life that he simply has to deal with. Gunnar stays in the forest, building his perfect imperfection.

When the tea room is finally finished, the moment is solemn and festive. A Cup of Tea is a film of somewhat grim laughter, but who ends up laughing at whom?

Text: Suvi Annola / Translation: Liina Härkönen

Languages: Norwegian, English
Subtitles: English