This is one of director Akira Kurosawa's earlier films and like most of my favorite films of his, this one is about people and is set in contemporary Japan. Many love his medieval epics, but for me, I almost always prefer the "people films" like IKARU, THE BAD SLEEP WELL and SCANDAL. However, despite this being a people film, it does not, unfortunately, rank up among the director's best. Now I am not saying it's a bad film--it just doesn't measure up among his better films. Why? Well, mostly because the plot is perhaps too simple. This story about two poor lovers really doesn't have a whole lot to it. They are very poor, their lives stink and they long to marry and be together more than just one day a week. Now the journey from start to finish is well made and reasonably engaging, but that really is about all there is to it. A very good director at the beginning of his career, two very good actors and a backdrop of a post-war country that is still mostly in rubble make for a good film--but one that just seems to need a bit more.