Early Summer

Here the theme is change, and nearly everything said by nearly every character seems marked by an awareness of its inevitability, and its bittersweet duplicity. This filmmaker's ability to draw emotion from the smallest details is endlessly affecting, and mostly very delicate.

In Late Spring Noriko found herself a stringent idealist, a traditionalist, engaged in an impossible quest of self-denial until, eventually, she accepts loss. Here, she finds herself a modern woman. Where she was timid, she is now unabashed. Where she was bounded to her father, a patriach, she now is an individual, her family an afterthought. Speaking through contrasts to the first rendition of this story, Ozu shows, ever so subtly, something more real than the circumstances of a time and place.

A domestic tale typical of Ozu, but one that strikes me harder than most others I've seen. The underlying theme of generational conflict is woven with the simplest and most universal poignancies: leaving the family home, nostalgia for time gone by, old friends going their separate ways, a humorously oblivious uncle, callous and insensitive children. What anyone else would exploit for melodrama, Ozu treats naturally with leisure and subtlety.

The final 40 or so minutes of this achieves and sustains an almost euphoric bittersweet beauty - a nostalgic longing for the present moment, anticipating its inevitable passing and the powerlessness we feel against it - punctuated by the transcendent final moments and shot. Possibly my favorite Ozu drama thus far.

This subtle tale of generational conflict and bonding is probably the one of Ozu's late films that is most just breathing with life - joyous, sad, repetitive, bittersweet - and its inevitable changing nature. Compared to 'Tokyo Story' the emotional perspective is less focused and more diffuse making it a bit more challenging to watch, but easily as rewarding.

An absolutely stunning film, easily one of my favorite Ozu's. I love the way the situation is set up quietly and slowly. It's like the characters sneak their way into your heart, and without any big revelation or "important moment" you find yourself completely emotionally and mentally engaged in their circumstances.

This simple story, about Ozu's favorite themes, kind of bored me at some moments. But there's so many beautiful imagery, that it's still a great movie. It could have been shorter, though.

A touching portrait of love and family expectations in post war Japan. It moves along at a leisurely pace that allows us to take in the characters and their lives and gain a sense of why they do what they do. The direction is good as are the performances.

a better version of late spring

This one did not click for me. Everything that was touching, beautiful and memorable in Late Spring, is completely absent from this film. I found myself distantly uncaring of most of the members of this family, with the exception of Noriko. I never even briefly felt that these people were real. And I think it comes from the way that Ozu shoots his films, with the back and forth editing of character conversations, which makes the actors look like actors performing.

One of my favorite Ozus. The characters and situations are very real. Setsuko Hara is insanely good in the lead role.

if there was one word i'd use to describe ozu, it would be familiar. i'm not sure why - the universality of the themes, the mostly pentatonic music - but his films just feel close despite my upbringing being not at all similar to that of traditionally familial japan. another word would be bittersweet, combining real, genuine emotions with inescapable emptiness. this one mostly focuses on marriage and the inevitability of changing relations that comes with it.

Another low-key family drama from Ozu, though dialogue-heavy and leaving very little unsaid. Some idle chatter is scattered about, but mostly people talk about serious life decisions, never in any way that's at all surprising, exciting or particularly lifelike. Like everyone else, Noriko is entirely devoid of personality, so I found it hard to care about who she marries. There is a certain quaint aesthetic to Ozu's greyish monotony which prevents me from hating it, but nor do I like it.

It's hard not to compare this to Late Spring, with its similar setup and identical lead; Early Summer offers a slightly less focused but more dynamic tableau of family life in transition. As with the former, some truly stunning shots of domestic and pastoral beauty are on display here.

Ozu's films are easygoing, honest and real. His style has no frills, and though his compositions are clearly carefully thought out, his films seem to come from a place of pure simplicity. And, despite being rooted in Japanese culture, there's a universality to the way they capture the intricacies of human interaction. This is a film that's funny, sweet, melancholy and tragic - wonderfully like life itself.

# 689

Gêmeos.

There's plenty of classic Japanese arthouse cinema that I love but Ozu is just boring

Good but I feel like it's not necessary to see more than one or two Ozu films. Because they all feel like a remake of the same film/idea...

Didn't like it as much as Tokyo Story, but it has many of the same elements of generational differences, nostalgia, the cycle of life.

This is typical Ozu--but typical Ozu is superb. As usual, the film explores the plight of an unmarried daughter, and how her choice of a mate challenges or conforms with family expectations. Setsuko Hara, at the height of her beauty, gives a superb performance, and she shares the film with Chishu Ryu, Ozu's sublest and most accomplished male star.

My favourite Hara performance so far, extremely evocative. Really enjoyed the humour in this one, and the acceptance and grace everyone ends up giving Noriko. Characters in Ozu movies are literally constantly wiping their hands on their aprons.

90

754

too slow for me

Whilst not as compelling as "Tokyo Story", it's similarly heartwarming and a test of the viewer's endurance.

91.00

Frances Noriko Ha: undateable, spends money buying cakes, has a loner bff -- together, they laugh at their married friends -- and is a good family girl. When her boss finds her a man, she says no -- as her mom says, it feels like "she was raised alone". The man she chooses is not the ideal one -- 40-yer-old with a daughter. She trusts him -- but is not in love. Resignation is a kind of happiness, as her parents reflect in the final shots. But it's better when you choose when to do so.

Not really my cup of tea. I find it hard to empathize with the characters, but that's mostly due to cultural differences of the time and place. Still, even when you break down the characters with their motivations its hard to wrap your mind around who wants what. Everybody is so focused on what someone else has to do to make them happy that no one is ever happy with what they've got. I recognize Ozu's power with the static shot, but this is just plain boring.

Charming

Watching Ozu's films seems like peeking through the neighbors' windows.

"this household is loving and serene".. my ass. Time to get married darling, and it's not your decision to make!

Semana em honra do centenário de Setsuko Hara filme #1. https://letterboxd.com/ladyspiggott/film/early-summer/

Slow. subtle and profound.

More of the same.

My problem is that this follow up to Late Spring feels like a rough draft to its predecessor. All the themes of Late Spring are here, but where Late Spring was, for the most part, exquisitely understated, Early Summer expands. There's more characters exploring the same ideas of love, family, tradition, contemporary life and more runtime. It's like the reverse of an editing process -- taking Late Spring as the pure essence and putting back additional material.

754

Another very good Ozu film. Hara plays another Noriko after her performance by a somewhat similar character of the same name in 1949's Late Spring. I liked this one a bit more than Late Spring, as I found it a bit less repetitive. It has the usual Ozu themes of familiar obligation, marriage for women who are getting a little up there in age (for the time). Another very solid entry from Ozu. Having seen the entire Noriko trilogy now, I think this is the second best after Tokyo Story.

One of the films that's in highest regard. On lists and in peoples hearts. To me it was just a ordinary Yasujirô Ozu.

#684

The movie describes the inevitable tension of postwar Japan between a society based on extended family and early feminism, where women get to decide for themselves, for good or bad. All of it done in an atmosphere of serene melancholy.