Naruse’s melodrama combines all of the tantalizing ingredients and timing to potentially boil over, yet he skillfully conserves the heat, revealing more complexity and depth in the long simmer. Husband and wife Shinji and Kiyoko—played by infallible regulars Kobayashi Keiju and Takamine Hideko—want to open a small café with all the money they have when Shinji’s overbearing mother pressures them to help out the favored, once-successful brother, now down on his luck. Meanwhile, Kiyoko’s business ambitions are encouraged by a handsome bank clerk—in the form of Mifune Toshiro, no less—whose charm and support serve as a salve to her increasingly stressful homelife. Another Naruse woman who entered into marriage either rashly or pragmatically, Kiyoko reveals her heart’s wishes through fleeting expressions or awkward silences. In fact, most of the communication in the film is unstated, indirect or misunderstood. With his hand cautiously on the lid, Naruse conducts a delicate symphony of restraint, acquiescence and perhaps even quiet transformation. – Brittany Gravely

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