Early Spring

Soshun, or Early Spring, is another rewarding domestic drama from towards the end of Ozu's career. Like his other seasonally titled films (1949's Late Spring, 1951's Early Summer, etc) it's a story that sets out to illuminate the dark corners of an apparently ordinary existence. Quiet in atmosphere and thoughtful in tone, what begins as a modest slice-of-life develops into something unexpectedly powerful.

Soshi (Ikebe) is a young-ish white collar worker in a large Tokyo corporation. Bored and frustrated by a life he feels has no meaning he begins a low key affair with one of his colleagues. But when Soshi's wife Masako (Awashima) finds out she leaves him. Bewildered, Soshi takes a new job in the country where he's forced to consider what - and who - he wants.

As with much of Ozu's work, what might have been depressing or indulgent is elevated by wry humour and his clear concern for the characters. The images have a precise, almost formal quality about them and though Soshi finally finds happiness, there's nothing glib about the ending. A small but carefully composed tale about domestic anguish that's lost none of its power to move.