Directed by:
Kon IchikawaCinematography:
Kazuo MiyagawaCast:
岸惠子, Kinuyo Tanaka, Masayuki Mori, Kyōko Kishida, Jūzō Itami, Jun Hamamura, 佐々木正時, Hikaru Hoshi, Akira Natsuki, Yuji Moriya, Koichi Ito, Kisao Tobita (more)Plots(1)
Young Gen and her brother Hekiro live with their father and stepmother. Due to the stepmother's severe rheumatism, it's Gen who does most of the work around the house. She's also unceasingly loyal to her brother, a good-for-nothing rebel incapable of avoiding trouble. Their mother, a pious Christian who feels the rest of the family doesn't really accept her, often laments her poor health. The father never really listens to his family's troubles, content to dole out platitudes when not remaining silent. The family's fragile relationships only begin to heal when Hekiro becomes seriously ill. Kon Ichikawa is as non-judgemental as one of the songs playing at the hospital, its lyrics referencing "The sins of the parents, the sins of the children...". The film is narrated exclusively from Gen's perspective, who oscillates between obedience and defiance, yet is still unable to escape the family which determines her life. Ichikawa chose a muted colour palette for this family drama, in which the stifling atmosphere of the family home is contrasted with the promise of freedom offered by nature. (Berlinale)
(more)Cast
岸惠子
Japan
Best movies:
The Twilight Samurai (2002)
Early Spring (1956)
Hunter in the dark (1979)
Kinuyo Tanaka
Japan
Best movies:
Red Beard (1965)
Equinox Flower (1958)
Ballad of Narayama (1958)
Masayuki Mori
Japan
Best movies:
Zatoichi at the Fire Festival (1970)
Asu o tsukuru hitobito (1946)
Bushido, Samurai Saga (1963)
Kyōko Kishida
Japan
Best movies:
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961)
Woman of the Dunes (1964)
Bushido, Samurai Saga (1963)
Jūzō Itami
Japan
Best movies:
The Makioka Sisters (1983)
Lord Jim (1965)
55 Days at Peking (1963)
Jun Hamamura
Japan
Best movies:
Japan's Longest Day (1967)
Zatoichi's Vengeance (1966)
High and Low (1963)
佐々木正時
Japan
Best movies:
Fires on the Plain (1959)
Hikaru Hoshi
Japan
Best movies:
Fires on the Plain (1959)
Floating Weeds (1959)
Giants and Toys (1958)
Akira Natsuki
Japan
Best movies:
Fires on the Plain (1959)
The Black Test Car (1962)
The Wife's Confession (1961)
Yuji Moriya
Japan
Best movies:
The Black Test Car (1962)
The Wife's Confession (1961)
Gamera: The Giant Monster (1965)
Koichi Ito
Japan
Best movies:
Fires on the Plain (1959)
The Black Test Car (1962)
Japan Sinks (1973)
Kisao Tobita
Japan
Best movies:
Red Angel (1966)
Fires on the Plain (1959)
The Wife's Confession (1961)
Hiroshi Kawaguchi
Japan
Best movies:
Floating Weeds (1959)
Kisses (1957)
Giants and Toys (1958)