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Okaasan

Play trailer Okaasan 1952 1h 40m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 1 Reviews 95% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Having lost their family business during a wartime fire, the once-prosperous Fukuhara family struggles to survive amid the chaos and devastation of postwar Japan. Devoted mother Masako Fukuhara (Kinuyo Tanaka) ; her husband, Ryosuke (Kyôko Kagawa) ; and their young children must all find menial jobs to make ends meet. Though living in poverty, the Fukuhara clan finds strength in each other as they work together, hoping to rebuild the happy life they once shared.

Critics Reviews

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Keith Uhlich Slant Magazine Simultaneously sentimental and meta. Rated: 3/4 Feb 14, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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william d Frankly, I found this film kind of boring. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Enjoyable, episodic look at Japanese life, circa 1951. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Naruse's sunniest picture embraces both the pain and the joy of living--Charming and Rueful!! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member I'll keep it simple-if you're a mother, you will enjoy this little gem. *Spoiler Alert* Her teenage son's heartbreaking effort to escape from hospital...so that he can die at home with his beloved mother will bring you to tears... Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Okaasan (Mother) is a superb family drama that's told ever so simply. It's a moving drama with occasional bits of humor. The great Japanese actress Kinuyo Tanaka (best known for her work in Kenji Mizoguchi's masterpieces The Life of Oharu, Ugetsu, & Sansho the Bailiff) is excellent in the title role and Daisuke Kato (best known for his work in some of Akira Kurosawa's films) is also quite good. But it's the central performance by Kyoko Kagawa as the daughter that is the most noteworthy. This film has a mixed feel of Yasujiro Ozu's style with some of Kenji Mizoguchi's feministic style. It's an excellent film and I look forward to watching more by the master director Mikio Naruse. 9/10 Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Kinuyo Tanaka expertly plays the weary and worried mother who struggles to keep her household going after her husband dies in postwar Japan. Naruse allows us to view the story through the eyes of the chirpy teenage daughter which lends a certain naivite to the proceedings. Not as emotionally rich as some of his other films. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Okaasan

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Cast & Crew

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Mikio Naruse

Director

Kinuyo Tanaka

Mother

Masao Mishima

Husband

Akihiko Katayama

Son

Kyoko Kagawa

Daughter

Eiji Okada

Shinjiro
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Okaasan

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Movie Info

Synopsis Having lost their family business during a wartime fire, the once-prosperous Fukuhara family struggles to survive amid the chaos and devastation of postwar Japan. Devoted mother Masako Fukuhara (Kinuyo Tanaka) ; her husband, Ryosuke (Kyôko Kagawa) ; and their young children must all find menial jobs to make ends meet. Though living in poverty, the Fukuhara clan finds strength in each other as they work together, hoping to rebuild the happy life they once shared.
Director
Mikio Naruse
Producer
Ichiro Nagashima
Screenwriter
Yôko Mizuki
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Runtime
1h 40m