Mikio Naruse is not as well known as some of the more acclaimed Japanese masters (Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi), yet judging from the few movies I have seen of him, he is at least their equal. This film stars Setsuko Hara (a Naruse, as well as Ozu, regular) as Michiyo, an unhappy housewife living in Osaka whose marriage to Hatsuno (played by Ken Uehara, another regular of Naruse as well as Ozu) is on the rocks. She eventually moves to Tokyo back with her mother and siblings to weigh the options. Hatsuno, after newly coping with single life (and having to clean the house now that the wife is gone) eventually follows her to try to win her back. There's not much more plot wise, and the ending may be disappointing to some (feminists, specially) but the movie is altogether a triumph as a fascinating portrayal of human emotion and truth.
