晩春 (aka Late Spring) (1949)

The 27 year old daughter (Setsuko Hara) of a widowed father (Chishu Ryu) feels compelled to take care of him in his later years rather than secure a life of her own including marriage. The father, knowing this is wrong, decides to force the issue and urges his daughter to marry. Based on the novel FATHER AND DAUGHTER by Kazuo Hirotsu and directed by Yasujiro Ozu (TOKYO STORY). Another study of post war Japanese family life by the great Ozu, the cultural differences between the West and Japan is much in evidence here. The daughter's devotion to her father seems unnatural and possibly Oedipal to Western eyes but the family bond in Japan is pure. Ryu's father realizes that he's been lax and maybe even selfish in letting his daughter give up the "normal" life of a young girl in order to take care of him. He redeems himself by cutting her off with an untruth and his quiet final moment in the movie is utterly poignant. With the wonderful Haruko Sugimura, Yumeji Tsukioka and Jun Usami.