Review of Late Spring (1949) by Justin M — 05 Aug 2009

Late Spring is a breath of fresh air. Ozu's portrait of a father-daughter pressured to separate into marriages is both heartbraking and poignant in extremely subtle ways. Although both father and daughter are completely happy, they are pressured by societal norms (in the form of an incorrigable aunt).

Ozu examines why people give up happiness in order to please society and others. In the end both father and daughter believe that what they are doing will cause the other to be happy. But Ozu doesn't indict societal norms; he recognizes them as necessary.

A father and daughter cannot live that way forever, but this is part of life. Still, the movie is drenched in emotion, when Noriko finally tells her father at the end that she simply wants to be with him, and he rejects her because he feels that is what he has to do for her to be happy after he dies.

Or another scene where the aunt first says it is impossible to know how Noriko feels about a suitor, yet later says she can tell Noriko likes her husband to be. She convinces the father, yet as he walks forward he looks back toward the camera with a fearful look in his eyes as pigeons scatter.

And of course the final scene which really gets to the heart of the father's character. Every character further serves Ozu's purpose, every fascinating subplot ties into this theme. I love all of Ozu's choices, how he interjects shots of nature (to contrast unnatural human rules), how he never shows the groom (because he is faceless, unimportant, arranged), how Setsuko Hara plays her character with fake smiles and unending humility even in the face of unspeakable sorrow.

All of this is underscored with beautiful music and excellent cinematography. Rarely does a film work on every level like Late Spring does, but this is a fantastic movie from a director who I feel will quickly become one of my favorites.