Perhaps there’s such a thing as a “chilm,” a “chill film,” if you will. This is something that doesn’t have a lot of cacophonous conflict, myriad melodrama, and anxiety-inducing tension. It also doesn’t make you laugh until your face and gut hurt, but rather evokes a calm smile. These are titles with lower-stakes, kind characters, pretty visuals, and an overall relaxing feel. Make no mistake, though; these aren’t “feel-good” movies by default.
Think Local Hero, Being There, Broken Flowers, Old Joy, or the films of Eric Rohmer. These are beautiful, kind of funny, kind of sad, kind of eccentric, but entirely pleasing and comforting films that don’t ratchet up the tension or emotionally suffocate the audience. The “chilm” has crossed over into television recently with such delightful works as Joe Pera Talks with You, How to with John Wilson, and Painting with John.
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Drops of God, a new Apple TV+ miniseries, joins this quiet pedigree of wonderfully delightful programs, and is the perfect weekend watch. It’s easy to simply let the eight episodes (three of which are now available) wash over you with its comforting, curious tale of family, culture, and wine.
The Sophisticated Plot of Drops of God
Apple TV+
Drops of God follows the quaint competition which ensues after a legendary winemaker, Alexandre Léger, passes away and leaves his estate and inheritance to the winner of a sensorial competition. Camille Léger (Fleur Geffrier) is the estranged daughter of Alexandre, and begrudgingly heads to Tokyo to see her father, who dies while she’s en route. When she meets his lawyer to discuss the will, she’s surprised to be joined by another person — Issei Tomine (Tomohisa Yamashita), Alexandre’s protégé in the absence of his daughter over the years.
Issei is a brilliant young man but deeply troubled, caught between his wealthy, judgmental family who wants him to join their diamond industry and his own passion for oenology. He has amazing senses, obfuscated by his stoic disposition and infinitely straight face. Camille has a poetic personality and has distanced herself from winemaking and her father’s legacy, to the extent that she gets a vicious nosebleed whenever she tastes alcohol. The psychosomatic burst of blood is a solid indication that she’s repressed a lot of the trauma and resentment she has toward her deceased father. In a way, Issei loves the dead man more than the winemaker’s own daughter.
The Frenchwoman and the Japanese man are thus caught in a prolonged duel of sorts, with various tests over a period of months in which they taste wines blindly and guess vintage and vineyard, and so on. Drops of God oscillates between Issei and Camille as they prepare for each test while dealing with their respective filial issues. They aren’t enemies, though; they don’t even know each other. By the end of the series, however, they certainly will.
Different Cultures Intersect in Apple TV+ Series
Apple TV+
Drops of God takes its time across eight hour-long episodes, but with this kind of low-stakes series with genuinely kind and interesting characters, that’s a good thing. It’s ultimately relaxing and soothing to watch this story play out. Yes, there are dramatic problems and conflicts that these characters face, but they’re human and not hyperbole, and they play out in soft and subtle ways. It all leads to a surprising but beautiful finale that’s heartwarming without saccharine sentimentality.
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Each episode of the miniseries basks in the warmth of its characters and the visually appealing sets (sprawling vineyards, modernist Japanese buildings, rustic homes). Almost everything and everyone is likable, but not in a focus group-tested or lowest-common-denominator way. There are ‘villains’ of sorts (Issei’s mother and grandfather), of course, but even they are viewed through the lens of compassion and cultural specificity.
It is fascinating to see how the different cultures react to the contest, and how honor, ennui, and passion are translated through those cultural prisms. There’s a French perspective and a Japanese one, united by the English language at times; the show has characters from different countries, and its international production included a Thai crew.
What Are the Drops of God?
Apple TV+
Another major theme of Drops of God explores family — what it means, how it can be oppressive, how it can be liberating, and what it’s ultimately worth. The idea of family is tenderly but tautly interrogated with each of the main characters, whether it’s Camille’s estrangement from her father or Issei’s status as a kind of black sheep in his disapproving family. The concept of “illegitimacy” comes up, which is a troubling and peculiar term that Drops of God seeks to deconstruct.
Related: Exclusive: Tomohisa Yamashita on Drops of God and Balancing Music with Acting
The filial motifs organically segue into the series’ interest in nature. Ultimately, the titular “drops of god” refer to something entirely natural, and wine itself is used as a fitting metaphor throughout the show for nature’s similarities to family. When speaking with MovieWeb, actor and singer Tomohisa Yamashita had this beautiful nugget of wisdom to share:
I think this story is about running [your] outlook on life through the wine. Just like wine, humans are made up from the many things that are intricately intertwined, something that reminds us all that we are part of nature.
Ultimately, Drops of God is a sophisticated but kindly series that’s as comforting as it is nourishing, and that’s a rare combination indeed. The hour-long series Drops of God made its global debut on Apple TV+ on April 21, with two episodes followed by one episode weekly until June 2, 2023.
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