It’s tough enough adapting a stage play into a movie at the best of times, but when it is set in a different culture and language it’s a hard one to pull off for a mainstream audience to get behind and enjoy.  Writer/director Kenji Yamauchi’s movie At The Terrace, which seems the nearest thing to a Japanese drawing room comedy, was adapted from his own play and has an immediate drawback that it has one setting for the entire 90 months.

The story tales place on the terrace of a what we assume is a businessman’s luxury house whose interior  we only see in the occasional glimpse through the drapes.  The hosts and the small group of party goers have all drunk a lot which has loosened tongues enough for people to let their guards down and be a little more forthcoming than usual. It starts off with the hostess Kazumi  being jealous of Haruko a younger and prettier woman who all the men seem to fancy, except for her husband of course who we eventually discover has totally different tastes. 

The tone of the party mixes traditional Japanese politeness with its eagerness to please and not cause offense, with everyone’s latent desires to release their inhibitions regardless.  Most of that consists of too many length diatribes that fall flat and we eventually are quick to share the eagerness of some of the guests who want to make a speedy exit as soon as they can.  It isn’t until the arrival of the host’s college-age son that things start to look up and get interesting. 

There are some funny bits  but for the most part a lot of it must have got lost in the translating.