Early Summer (1951)

 Yasujiro Ozu's "Early Summer"


After watching Yasujiro Ozu's 1951 film, "Early Summer," I couldn't help but notice the striking similarity to his 1949 film, "Late Spring." Both films center on a family trying to arrange a marriage for one of their members who is resistant to it. The resistor in both films is played by Setsuko Hara. Both films hint at dramatic generational gaps taking effect in a post-war Japan. Both films conclude with characters making sacrifices in their own lives for the sake of the happiness of the collective family. Because of these similarities, I found myself slightly wavering while watching "Early Summer." 

That being said, the film still has individual merits that warrant its own individual viewing. Ozu once again manages to create a sense of domestic comfort in his work, while also dissecting the miscommunications that occur between family and how each family member wants different things out of each other. I don't believe a filmmaker has ever come close to the level of understanding and execution of the emotions and existential themes that come from domesticity as Ozu. With that being said, "Early Summer" still manages to strike an emotional chord.



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