Floating Weeds (1959)

 Yasujiro Ozu's "Floating Weeds"


"Floating Weeds" was Yasujiro Ozu's second adaption of one of his previous films that he did in 1959. The other, "Good Morning," was adapted from his 1932 film "I Was Born, but..." while "Floating Weeds" was adapted from 1934's "A Story of Floating Weeds." While "Good Morning" was only a loose adaptation, "Floating Weeds" was far more direct.

It centers on a travelling theater troupe who arrive at a seaside town for their next performance. While on this temporary stop, the troupe's lead actor and owner, Komajuro, visits his former mistress and his secret son, pretending to be the boy's uncle. Komajuro's current girlfriend and lead actress, Sumiko, discovers his secret, she pays one of the supporting actresses to seduce the young boy. Things begin to unravel, bringing to light all of the hidden secrets.

Like with Ozu's 1934 silent version, "Floating Weeds" creates a mess of a situation in order to illustrate the brokenness of its characters' relationships. All of the relationships are broken and in desperate need of reconciliation and mending. However, the stubbornness of the characters and their inability to be vulnerable and connect with one another creates inherent fractures that can never be mended. It is a cold, empty feeling that Ozu leaves the viewer and a desperate need to reconcile with one's own family.

Watching it now after going through a significant portion of Ozu's discography from 1934 to 1959 allows me to see the full breadth of how Ozu has grown as a filmmaker. What remains the same throughout are the themes of fractured families and the inevitability of drifting apart. I don't think he comes across so clearly as he does with this story, though. "Floating Weeds" encompasses all the existential emptiness of one's life and the quiet desperation whispering to us through the blowing of calming winds.

I very much felt that Ozu manages to reiterate himself perfectly with "Floating Weeds." I feel as though he was equally able to do this with "Good Morning," as its changes and tone disconnected me from more existential thought. However, "Floating Weeds" hit like a ton of bricks. It's title is perfect, depicting characters that move in and out of each other's lives and continue to wade adrift through the endless floating stream.



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