A once-prosperous obi manufacturer goes bankrupt and shoots himself, leaving his widow and three daughters to pick up the pieces. Over the course of a a month, they struggle to revive the business, shredding their last resources.
It's a beautifully told tragedy, watching them going through the stages of grieving in a Japanese fashion. Nor does the story proceed as the start presages; the central characters shift around, until character and denouement are settled.
The camerawork of Kazuo Miyagawa is dazzling, with constantly moving shots, crane shots, Dutch angles, beauty compositions.... and after a while, it begins to wear on the movie itself. When the story is less dense, the characters less well drawn, the acting less superb, flashy camerawork can spice up a movie; the occasional big shot can punctuate a scene and theme. The constantly dazzling work here becomes blaring by the end, although it never overwhelms the pathos of the story.
It's a beautifully told tragedy, watching them going through the stages of grieving in a Japanese fashion. Nor does the story proceed as the start presages; the central characters shift around, until character and denouement are settled.
The camerawork of Kazuo Miyagawa is dazzling, with constantly moving shots, crane shots, Dutch angles, beauty compositions.... and after a while, it begins to wear on the movie itself. When the story is less dense, the characters less well drawn, the acting less superb, flashy camerawork can spice up a movie; the occasional big shot can punctuate a scene and theme. The constantly dazzling work here becomes blaring by the end, although it never overwhelms the pathos of the story.
