A young man discovers that the woman who raised him is his stepmother. His stepbrother, who is unaware of the revelation, resents his mother for always punishing him more severely than his stepsibling.
Direction
Ozu's famous low-angle tatami shots before he perfected them.
Writing
Family secrets that explode through what's NOT said.
Director
Yasujirō Ozu
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This is one of Ozu's earliest surviving sound films; many of his 1930s works were lost to fire and war.
The film reflects Japan's ie family system, where bloodline legitimacy determined inheritance and social standing — making Chieko's secret literally existential for her sons.
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