CinemaSerf

When a troupe of entertainers arrive in a small town after a four-year absence, "Kihachi" (Takeshi Sakamoto) is hoping to reunite with his now adult son "Shinkichi" (Kôji Mitsui). Snag? Well his mother - and the erstwhile mistress of our circus master - "Otsune" (Chôko Iida) has brought the lad up believing that his father was a successful civil servant, as that he is dead! Now to be fair to "Kihachi", though he did not hang around and be a traditional father - his lifestyle could not have supported that - he has provided for his son by funding his schooling which has seen the young man recently graduate and so looking at a promising, professional, future. Though hardly ideal, things with this family are settled. Until, that is, "Otaka" (Emiko Yagumo) finds out their secret. She is the current lover of "Kihachi" and a fellow entertainer - and she's pretty livid. Revenge? Well she concocts a plan to engage a young colleague "Otoki" (Yoshiko Tsubouchi) to ensnare the young "Shinkichi" so she can ruin his reputation and cause maximum distress to his parents. What nobody really counts on is that "Shinkichi" is in many ways wiser than his years, and when he and "Otoki" really do start to fall in love, consternation on all fronts ensues and tempers flair before truths emerge and... On the face of it, this sounds a little like a soap opera. What Yasujirô Ozu does here though, is imbue the characters with a degree of personality. We feel, watching, that we too have skin in their game as the manipulation and lies are countered by decency and, dare I say it, true love - and not always where you expect it. It looks great, the photography is frequently intense without being in your face and the sound-track add a richness to the humanity of this story that really does make it engaging to watch. I saw this recently on a big screen in London, and it was captivating.