Nadare

I think this movie is much more universal than people give it credit for. Yes its steeped in Japanese traditions but Most if not all culture have dealt or still deal with the same issues. Its about responsibilities, youth, society, love, emotions. I can easily see the multilayered story presented...

A simple domestic drama where the good loyal wife has to be protected from her husband's doubts about the marriage as he's fallen for another woman. No one wants to hurt the fragile kind thing who is totally devoted to her man. He on the other hand is a more modern thinker. Mikio Naruse balances the carefulness of the subject real well. You can sense the wife is something holy and the need to handle it delicately. The exaggerated climax scene makes it even more absurd. In a good way.

This is a concise and fascinating early work by Naruse which tackles the issues of tradition against the new. Only the final part flaws the film, possibly becoming too melodramatic when the rest of it has a melancholic mood. Made before the WWII, and when the West would have a greater influence on Japan when the Americans occupied it, its amazing to see the issues of social and gender relationships shown here that would continue and be amplified in the 50s films of directors like Naruse.