Ichikawa's imagery is beautiful, especially in capturing those gorgeous landscapes. And the characters are strong, each sister having a distinct, fleshed-out and compelling personality, backed up by some fine performances. But it's a hard movie to get excited about. The story has a few touching moments and intriguing conflicts, but in general it's somewhat bland drama that takes longer to play out than it should. It's awfully mellow for Ichikawa, pretty to look at but lacking in flair.

Decent early 1900's family drama.

A full-fledged exercise in the sensuality of genetic similarity and different shades of family sensibility.