Review by boblipton

Chishu Rye lives in a monastery in Osaka with his two daughters and his widowed daughter-in-law. The daughters are in love, but the path of true love never did run smooth.

Kinuyo Tanaka's second movie as director is from a script co-written by her frequent director, Yasujiro Ozu. It's certainly the sort of movie he would make, although Miss Tanaka handles it far more broadly and in in a visual style far from Ozu's. She uses a lot of moving shots, and instead of the shots from the tatami looking up, there's one that seems to be deliberately contrary: a shot from on high, looking down at someone on the mat. But it does have the story-telling hallmarks of Ozu's comedies, with discussion of how microwave transmission is making telephone calls faster and a daughter, not a parent, trying to arrange the marriage of a sister.

Indeed, the visuals are often exquisite under the direction of lighting director Shigeyoshi Mine, with the serene temples, mountains, and full moon contrasting well with the seemingly inchorent nature of young love. With Shuji Sano, Hisako Yamane, Yôko Sugi, Mie Kitahara, and Miss Tanaka in a small role.