La mère

(1952) Mother/ Okâsan (In Japanese with English subtitles) DRAMA

Metaphorically social commentary story involves a narration of a teenage daughter about her mothers sustainability after WWII! In order to fully appreciate this film, one would have to be aware about Japanese history or at least be familiar with Japanese culture which also includes the story. For example, I didn't know back on those days Japanese noodles "Udon" used to be cheaper than rice for instance because these days a small pack of Udon is way more expensive than rice! The story is very subtle and involving with some surprising touches, some identifiable easily influenced by American culture but works well with this Japanese setting! Personally written and directed Mikio Naruse about the after affects of WWII especially the strain on mothers and the impact onto their families, reminiscent of Yasujirô Ozu of "Tokyo Story" fame.

When the eldest son dies, and then the father, Kinuyo Tanaka is left to carry on the laundry. She not only has to learn how to handle the iron -- for Daisuke Katô cannot remain to help out forever, but there are still three children in the house: elder daughter Kyôko Kagawa, who is resentful of the changes, a younger daughter who will be going to live with her late husband's brother, and a nephew -- his widowed mother, Chieko Nakakita, is studying hairdressing.

It's a family portrait by Naruse, and while there is hardship, it's not a story of misery and oppression, but one of love. The actors all give heartfelt performances, but it is Miss Tanaka, at the heart of the movie, who truly shines. She feels her loss deeply, her responsibilities more deeply, and her love most of all; her reaction when Miss Nakakita has dressed up Miss Nakakito as a bride for a competition is an expression of love, pride and sadness that is indescribably beautiful and true.

It's not one of Naruse's greatest pictures, but this might be the most telling scene he ever directed.

OKASAN is one of the rare instances when Naruse was able to create a film with a little more humor than usual; for this reason, this study of an adolescent girl and her mother has moments of great charm, even though the general sadness which pervades so many of Naruse's films cannot help but add dimension to the story. The ending of the film is more upbeat than is usual for Naruse, and so the effect is bittersweet and rueful, rather than despairing and sad. It's a film full of delicate touches of great tenderness; it's a film that really does celebrate motherhood, though in a very unsentimental way. Though Naruse does emphasize the problems of the family, he allows the affection that the family feels for each other to texture the film with a feeling of genuine warmth. This remains a very special film for Naruse for this reason.

MOTHER is the first film directed by Naruse I ever watch. I'm not alone. Of the great Japanese masters, Mikio Naruse (1905-1969) remains the one who received the least exposure outside his native country. Naruse was reticent, shy and prolific. But only two of his films were ever available in the US (vhs versions of A Woman Ascends the Stairs and Late Chrysanthemums released over 20 years ago). Like Mizoguchi's, Naruse's films provide a milieu viewed through the eyes of women, but his protagonists consider suffering and hardship a normal aspect of living, thus becoming less tragic than Mizoguchi's wronged heroines. Naruse specialized in the genre called "shomin geki" or family dramas depicting the living conditions of the lower-class, as opposed to Ozu's solidly middle-class family units.

MOTHER's central protagonist is a wife and mother of four during the tough post-war years. She's played by the wonderful Kinuyo Tanaka (the potter's wife in Ugetsu and, years later, Japan's first woman director) but the narrator and audience surrogate is her observant and cheerful teenage daughter. Despite the presence of illness and death in the plot, it's not surprising that Naruse called MOTHER his "happiest" film. Besides the presence of the youthful and optimistic narrator, there are several instances of humor and amusing vignettes seamlessly incorporated into the narrative. As for the effect the film had one me, perhaps Akira Kurosawa described it most accurately as "a flow of shots that looks calm and ordinary at first glance, reveals itself to be like a deep river with a quiet surface disguising a fast-raging current underneath".

It is easy to make a good movie - just remember what genre it belongs to and follow the rules. If you make a comedy, make it funny, if you make a drama, make it moving, honest, look at your characters closely, find what motivates them, what makes them happy, sad, look at their faces, their eyes because the eyes are the soul's mirror. Don't make them talk a lot but make every word, every gesture, every look meaningful. Remember that even the most moving drama can and should have humor because without smiles and laughs the humans simply can't survive. Watching Naruse's "Okaasan" (1952) aka "Mother" makes all these rules seem so easy to follow and that's what a great movie should be like. I cried and smiled and thought about my mother, and wished her to be happy and live forever and then I took the movie to her - I wanted her to see it, too. One thing I'd like to add - what a fascinating use of music score, the original and the famous Italian song, "O Sole Mio". I've never heard such a charming version of it.

Excellent! 10/10