Toyomi is pregnant -- and while Shintaro and Yurie are on their extended honeymoon, she bears his child, a girl named Kiyoko. She is supported in adversity by close friend Michiko and her mother but also, surprisingly, Shintaro's mother and siblings. Even moreso, Toyomi and Yurie become friends. Part two of a two-part romance based on a story by noted author Kikuchi Kan.
Direction
Naruse's signature pillow shots and domestic spaces.
Acting
Takako Irie's restrained suffering, eyes doing everything.
Director
Mikio Naruse
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kikuchi Kan was a literary celebrity; adapting his scandalous stories let Naruse explore women's constrained choices under patriarchy.
This two-part structure was rare for 1930s Japanese cinema; Part One is considered lost, making this surviving half accidentally self-contained.
JP
