william d
I enjoyed this movie until the end. Like the main character I also experience disappointment with the drudgery of everyday life. However, the ending was just too pat.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
Sensitively observed post-war Japanese drama about a young wife (Setsuko Hara) who yearns to return to the freedom of her single life and to escape the drudgery of cooking and cleaning and a husband who seems to take her for granted. As so often in Naruse's films, we see characters (primarily women) who must resign themselves to the bitter pill that life makes them swallow. Here, the "happy ending" that brings the couple back together is really just another acknowledgment that life is about compromise and disappointment (but this may in fact be a realistic view). Not my favorite Naruse -- the later ones with Hideko Takamine are even more wickedly depressing.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
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Audience Member
Naruse's realistic portrait of a housewife on the verge of maybe thinking about leaving her inattentive workingman husband, with the lovely Setsuko Hara dressing down for the role.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
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Audience Member
This one was read by me in two ways- both disregarding the ending where she sucumbs to the role of a housewife as that is the life of a woman!
First, is relatable. She clearly was un-appreciated and needed that break. It was a relatable feeling. This was the reading at the time.
The second was later where I simply stated that it was a good movie. It just is.
The friends were funny and the one with glasses looks funny! The cat is cute. And anyone think something is up with the niece? And yet again, Naruse has a bus tour guide with a great voice! And the impression is great too!
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/11/23
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Audience Member
My first Naruse, and though I couldnt say with any honesty that this film is one of my favourites, it has piqued my interest in the rest of his work. And among the Japanese filmmakers Ive seen so far, I have a feeling I will be most drawn into his work. Repast is about the compulsively unhappy Michiyo, who feels stuck in a marriage where she is little more than a slave to her husband and domestic life. There is a constant repetition of actions, scenes and scenarios. There is an endless monotony that she feels trapped by.
As the film progresses, she branches out beyond the home, though is still constantly pulled and reminded of that life. She goes out with friends, they tell her how beautiful and happy she looks, to which she responds puzzled. She is very unhappy, but realises that the world around her cannot, or perhaps will not understand how and why, as she is fulfilling her duties as a wife. Its not even that there is no sympathy for her plight, but there is no precedent that she should or would be in this situation. Its accepted that she is happy because she has achieved what has been set before her, but its wholly unsatisfying for her.
The film also hints at the difficulties that tough economic times have on relationships. The strain that divides couples, unable to have time together, because they are constantly working and managing. She realises shes nagging, but there is little choice, there isnt enough money, there isnt enough food, therefore there isnt enough freedom. Her husband, though fairly oblivious and selfish, isnt exactly cruel or mean, just as unsympathetic as everyone else in her life.
The introduction of the niece reveals an interesting perspective on the story. Someone unaffected by the world, who the idea of working and suffering seems completely lost on. She sees herself as the center of the world and though that may divide her with most people, it serves her well. Her happiness above all others has brought her more peace of mind that anyone else, but its a life that Michiyo cannot, and does not want to live. She only becomes a burden.
Later, when Michiyo goes home to think things over, all she does is sleep. She called lazy, or her exhaustion is explained by her over working. No doubt, the latter is part of the problem, but in retrospect, depression or some other similar psychological disorder is just as likely the cause. Its beyond just simple unhappiness, and its certainly not selfishness.
The film ends on a bittersweet note, as Michiyo seems to find comfort in returning to the life she left behind with a new understanding of her work. Is it a hopeful lie on her part? Or does she really believe in that change? Its difficult to say.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/24/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A quiet yet absorbing movie which explores the dynamics of a husband and wife living in post-war Osaka. The wife, a Tokyo native following her husband finds herself at crisis point trying to cope with displacement, domestic drudgery, bleak future horizons and little money. The arrival of her husband's attractive niece strains everybody, and the wife takes off to Tokyo to find herself. Surprisingly modern in certain aspects, this movie is also a fascinating historical document of a Japan long since vanished.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/17/23
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