Noriko (Setsuko Hara), a 28-year old secretary working in Tokyo, feels pressure from her extended family to marry. Director Yasujiro Ozu's beautiful drama is an unhurried observation of cultural changes in occupied Japan as Noriko's life (and that of her unmarried friend) is contrasted with the lives of her more traditional, and now married pals, who are beginning to slip away. The story is touching and the cinematography is personal and evocative. The impact of the values imposed on the Japanese by the victorious Western allies pertaining to women's rights is a central, if not explicitly stated, theme that should resonate with contemporary viewers familiar with the ongoing attempts to 'Westernise' views on women's rights in countries in which traditional values limit their freedoms and cultural participation. 'Early Summer' is the middle film in Ozu's so-called 'Noriko trilogy' (between 'Late Spring' (1949) and 'Tokyo Story' (1950) in which Hara plays a character named 'Noriko' and similar themes are explored. All three films are outstanding.
Review of Early Summer
