Late Chrysanthemums (1954)

 Mikio Naruse's "Late Chrysanthemums"


Mikio Naruse's second feature length film out of 1954, "Late Chrysanthemums" continues the themes of a post-war Japanese society completed fractured and frayed by economics, social issues, and domestic turmoil. The film follows a group of aging single women as they attempt to navigate the economic turbulence they find themselves in. This turbulence creates natural fractures in their relationships, along with their disconnection with society as a whole. "Late Chrysanthemums" is a bleak portrait of a Japanese society and more specifically, the women of that society, in a state of hopelessness. It's a film full of broken people and broken relationships that doesn't look like it's getting repaired any time soon.



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