Winner of the "Silver Bear, Best Director" at the 1958 Berlin Awards, Story of Pure Love is about two outcast youths living on the fringes of an affluent society which has passed them by. Mitsuko ( Hitomi Nakahara) & Kando (Shinjirô Ebara) give tremendous depth of character to their performances, Tadashi Imai's excellent direction is perfectly balanced, realistic and naturally creative in his depiction of the social environment in which the two friends struggle. Mitsuko & Kando rebel for survival, however the consequences of their desperate actions draw them into the Japanese reformatory system, and onto menial low wage jobs. Mitsuko's deteriorating health becomes a serious concern, her condition is thought to be caused from radiation sickness which developed after close proximity exposure as a child...
Review of Jun'ai monogatari
