
Shigeo Tokioka (Tetsu Watanabe), a lonely man who has lost his wife, sees a three-line ad for a club in the newspaper that reads, "Tea drinking friends wanted". Mana Sasaki (Rei Okamoto) along with a group of youngsters runs the club, which is actually a prostitution business specializing in arranging appointments for call girls who are over sixty-five years old. A socially-conscious ensemble drama inspired by the news of an actual 2013 prostitution club bust involving the elderly. Directed and written by Sotoyama Bunji, who made his feature film debut with Sansan.
Directed by Bunji Sotoyama, Tea Friends leans on a strong ensemble — Rei Okamoto, Maki Isonishi, Tetsu Watanabe — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2023.
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Kiyoha rises from the lowly courtesan ranks to the high class position of Oiran in the steamy red-light district of Yoshiwara. She is determined to stand on her own two feet and live life as she pleased.
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