The late Kirin Kiki maintained such an industrious work schedule that moviegoers have had multiple chances to pay their last respects since she passed away last September. "Cherry Blossoms and Demons" is her actual swan song, albeit one that all but the most ardent fan can probably skip.
This dopey supernatural drama is the third Japan-themed movie from German director Doris Dorrie, though the first to get a proper theatrical release here. Local audiences may be bemused to discover that it's actually a sequel to the earlier "Cherry Blossoms" (2008), in which a recently bereaved widower, Rudi, travels to Japan to fulfil his late wife's dream of becoming a butoh dancer.
The focus this time is on Rudi's youngest son, Karl (Golo Euler), who has slipped from professional success into alcoholism and despair. He makes quite an entrance: gate-crashing his estranged daughter's birthday party, steaming drunk and wearing a panda head mask. At night, he is woken by a presence looming over his bed — the mare of "nightmare" fame — that leaves him cowering in the bathroom, whimpering for help.