![man in a suit sitting on the stairs of a Japanese temple with his head turned toward the woman next to him in traditional Japanese dress, speakingalr](/public/upload/events/medium_wide/644a7e92a919a.jpg?1682603667)
Produced and distributed by Shintoho, the rarely screened The Munekata Sisters tells the tale of two sisters caught in the transitional tensions of the Occupation years. The elder Setsuko (Tanaka Kinuyo) is married to an abusive husband (Yamamura So); the younger and unmarried Mariko (Takamine Hideko) wants Setsuko to get a divorce and turns to Setsuko’s past love Hiroshi (Uehara Ken) for help. Reflective of the source material’s serialized format, there is a slightly repetitious rhythm to the way Ozu compares and contrasts the cigarette-smoking Mariko and the kimono-wearing Setsuko. Ozu did not select the film’s source material or its stars, making the film a noteworthy instance of reduced creative control. But Ozu’s endeavor to break out of this schematic structure produces some of his best dialogue regarding what it means to be modern beyond following trends or discarding traditions. These conversations, which conclude in ambivalence and ambiguity, pave the way for the more complex ideological differences seen in films like Tokyo Twilight and The End of Summer.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
Late Spring
![two women in traditional Japanese dress sitting on a mat indoors, looking at the camera](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/64498b123f5ee.jpg?1682541335)
Tokyo Story
![Two young Japanese women in shirts and skirts sit on stools on the street, slightly smiling and looking at the viewer](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/64498be38e74d.jpg?1684418221)
Early Summer
![Medium wide shot, down a short hallway, of two women in the kitchen, one cutting a cake and smiling](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/64498eb3188e1.jpg?1682542260)
Passing Fancy
![A woman in traditional Japanese dress and a man with a beret, sitting next to each other looking despondent](/public/upload/events/thumb/64498fca874a9.jpg?1682542665)
Dragnet Girl
![close-up of a woman behind a man with a fedora, she has one hand on his shoulder and the other points a gun](/public/upload/events/thumb/6449919b6b80e.jpg?1682543009)
Tokyo Story
![Two young Japanese women in shirts and skirts sit on stools on the street, slightly smiling and looking at the viewer](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/64498be38e74d.jpg?1684418221)
A Story of Floating Weeds
![two women in traditional Japanese dress stand next to each other, bodies facing sideways and turned toward the camera, one with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth](/public/upload/events/thumb/644992ee61b42.jpg?1682543347)
Days of Youth
![a line of youth and adults smiling at the ski slopes](/public/upload/events/thumb/64499461ecdcf.jpg?1682543716)
The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice
![a group of women wearing the same graphically printed traditional Japanese dress](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/644997b24a06e.jpg?1682544564)
Early Spring
![a group of young Japanese men and women at dinner gaze at one man and a woman shaking hands over the table](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/644a8498d959e.jpg?1682605211)
The Munekata Sisters
![man in a suit sitting on the stairs of a Japanese temple with his head turned toward the woman next to him in traditional Japanese dress, speaking](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/644a7e92a919a.jpg?1682603668)
Floating Weeds
![a Japanese man and woman in traditional dress look past the camera with concerned expressions](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/644a8c8b0d2de.jpg?1682607503)
Good Morning
![two young Japanese boys sit sideways at a desk in a bedroom turned toward and looking at the viewer](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/644a8f48c5854.jpg?1682607947)
Late Autumn
![three Japanese women seated on mats with tea, one wearing traditional dress](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/644a9b3c3097b.jpg?1682611255)
Tokyo Twilight
![a Japanese woman sits facing the viewer, resting her head on her hand which holds a cigarette](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/644aa2d603d3a.jpg?1682612952)
The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family
![close-up of a young Japanese woman resting her head on the shoulder of a young Japanese man](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/644aa47598b4f.jpg?1682613369)
I Flunked, But …
![](/public/upload/events/thumb/644aa6c91b129.jpg?1682613964)
Late Autumn
![three Japanese women seated on mats with tea, one wearing traditional dress](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/644a9b3c3097b.jpg?1682611255)
Where Now Are the Dreams of Youth?
![a young man with a military cap leans on the counter of a bar looking at another man in military garb looking down while a woman stands behind the bar, between them](/public/upload/events/thumb/644aacbc8fcd5.jpg?1682615487)
The End of Summer
![a young woman in Western-style dress and an older woman in traditional Japanese dress lean on a porch railing, smiling and looking out](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/644aaddad5717.jpg?1682615778)
Early Spring
![a group of young Japanese men and women at dinner gaze at one man and a woman shaking hands over the table](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/644a8498d959e.jpg?1682605211)
Café Lumière
![a seated woman stares off in the distance and in the middle ground a man seated at a table with tea looks off while a young woman in the distance sits next to a window drinking tea](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/644ab0de6a043.jpg?1682616544)
Tokyo Story
![Two young Japanese women in shirts and skirts sit on stools on the street, slightly smiling and looking at the viewer](/public/upload/events/thumb_wide/64498be38e74d.jpg?1684418221)