Audience Member
No Regrets for Our Youth (Waga Seishun ni Kuinashi) is a 1946 Japanese film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is based on the 1933 Takigawa incident and is considered a quintessential "democratization film," taking up many themes associated with social policy under the early Occupation of Japan.
The film stars Setsuko Hara, Susumu Fujita, Takashi Shimura and Denjirō Ōkōchi. Fujita's character was inspired by the real-life Hotsumi Ozaki, who assisted the famous Soviet spy Richard Sorge and became the only Japanese citizen to suffer the death penalty for treason during World War II.
No Regrets for Our Youth was received enthusiastically by post-war audiences and was ranked as the second best film of 1946 by Kinema Junpo.
Vision wrote, "hysterically annoying at first, until she finds her path. One who does not use logic is ignorant to facts. She embraces this throughout the film. Setsuko Hara played the part with no regrets. The depiction of both the military and peasants as antagonists is evidence for Kurosawa's "political uninvolvement" with both the right-wing and left-wing. Three fries for production, cinematography and story."
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
04/08/25
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Audience Member
Subtle exploration of a woman's path to purpose in life amid political and personal turmoil. Has all the hallmarks of a great Kurosawa movie: a deeply humanist attitude, well-written characters, great acting and camera work. Can feel a bit slow-paced to modern audiences.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/25/23
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william d
Not one of Kurosawa's best. Rather than tell a good and coherent story the movie's true purpose seems to be to give the impression that the opposition to Japanese militarism in the 1930s was more dedicated and widespread than it actually was.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
A very moving story about the huge price one has to pay -- not just in Japan, incidentally -- for resisting the fever of nationalism and imperialism. What destroyed these young lives was not simply an authoritarian military/corporate regime in 1930s/1940s Japan, but mob psychology, which supported Japan's imperialist spree and ostracized those who were out of step. Some say that the director, Akira Kurosawa, made the movie to show that there was resistance to the imperialist regime and thus salvage Japanese honor in the postwar period, showing that the country was not all bad. But I find that explanation unconvincing; it is more an indictment of the human weakness of conforming.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/24/23
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nick s
This was the first film directed after II World War by Akira Kurosawa, just 1 year after the surrender of Japan and atomic bombings. However, we can see how fast the situation and opinions are changing. Japan was still in ruins, while we already see pacifist leftist films like No Regrets for Our Youth showing militarists in a very negative light. Just a year ago the military power was still sending people to inevitable death. And then Kurosawa comes up with such story about young people who make a tremendous difference in the life of the whole country, being ready to sacrifice their youth for the bright future.
No Regrets of Our Youth shows the conflict between young people of different type and background. Noge (Susuma Fujita) and Itokawa (Akitake Kono) study in the University together when the Takigawa incident in 1933 occurs and Japan intervenes China. A leftist Noge who has a strong wish to take part in the political life of the country realized it is time to act and hope against the consequences of this incident. He leaves the school and attempts to build the bonds among young people to confront militarism. Noge is a real intelligent who cares for both country and people living there, while Itokawa is a guy from the working class. Initially, he has the intention to join his friend in this fight. But he later decides he can't do that as his mother has been living her life to let him study and become a decent man. Itokawa has to take into consideration his mother felt, and their paths with Noge split. At the same time, Noge develops a rift between him and his family. His family doesn't understand him, and he is forced to sacrifice not only position in the school for this fight but also relationships with the family.
Later, Noge is arrested for being involved into espionage (this story is based on the personality of Hotsumi Ozaki who assisted Soviet spy Richard Zorge during the World War), and Itokawa becomes a state prosecutor. He is married and he lives for his family and mother. We cannot blame him for anything, it is just a different type who is not ready to join this political fight. But this is the film where Kurosawa praises Noge's attitude, as well as Yukie (played by Setsuko Hara).
A daughter of a professor, Yukie is initially unable to choose between Noge and Itokawa. She blames childishly Noge for being so much into politics but ends up having an affair with him. His talks and hopes were incendiary and strong to impress her for the rest of life. Itokawa seems to be boring for her. After a few years, she meets Noge again and they start seeing each other. She knows she will have to sacrifice her youth to live with him, but this is something she is looking for. After the arrest of Noge, she makes another sacrifice going to the village of his parents and living with them being accused wife of spy by local villagers.
Kurosawa is merely impressed by these strong and young people who change the future of all us. He is showing in the screen, despite many sacrifices the future generations will learn to respect those who had sacrificed everything to fight, with no regrets for their youth. At the end of the film the war is over. Now we see Yukie becoming a local heroine in the village where everybody used to hate her. The minds of people change fast, according to politics. And No Regret to Our Youth is about the brave people who are not afraid of fighting military doctrine and radical right ideas taking the peoples into oblivion.
One of the early features of Kurosawa is marked with a great performance of actors and politically important story. Yet he has elaborated his filmmaking style in No Regrets for Our Youth. At this point, he was on the way to establish himself as world-acclaimed director.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
Some movies have a way of capturing time passage that can weaken the viewer at the knees, feeling a merciless victim to time, change, life and death. There's a scene between Yukie and Itokawa meeting up in Tokyo after not seeing each other for three years - it's been eight years since we first met them - and the way he talks about the past with the music, framing them against a timeless cityscape, their postures simple and still, hers shamed... It's all such a memoir feeling.
Yukie pacing back and for day after day outside of Noge's is so beautifully staged and captured. Great set and lighting to favor weather changes - a rainy day, windy day, and sunny day when Noge finally bumps into her.
Yukie is hard to read, a sequence of events between her and Noge reveals her to be bipolar. Things he may enjoy, like a worm or a movie, may cause her sudden out years of sadness.
There's a moment Yukie struggles to carry a bail of hay after we've seen a montage of a disapproving community that considers anyone from Noge's family to be a traitor... Kurosawa uses a unique method of something like an offscreen studio audience laughing at her struggle. "Don't forget the struggle of freedom" we hear Yukie's father say amidst a montage of voice overs as she tirelessly sows.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/12/23
Full Review
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