Yasujirô Ozu: Three Melodramas

Triple bill of dramas from Japanese writer-director Yasujirô Ozu. In 'Tokyo Twilight' (1957) graduate Akiko Sugiyama (Ineko Arima) is looking for her boyfriend, Kenji (Masami Taura), with whom she has a troubled relationship, when she meets a woman she believes may be her long-lost mother. Akiko's older sister, Takako (Setsuko Hara), tries to protect her from finding out about how their mother abandoned them but Akiko soon learns the truth with tragic consequences. In 'Woman of Tokyo' (1933) Chikako (Yoshiko Okada) works day and night to pay for her young brother, Ryoichi (Ureo Egawa)'s, university expenses. As the wage from her office job does not cover the costs, Chikako also works as a prostitute during the night, which Ryoichi is unaware of. When his girlfriend, whose brother is a policeman, finds out about Chikako's double life the situation spirals out of control. In 'Early Spring' (1956) office worker Shoji Sugiyama (Ryô Ikebe) is bored with his marriage to Masako (Chikage Awashima) and embarks on an affair with flirtatious colleague Kaneko (Keiko Kishi). Will Shoji be able to repair the damage he has done when Masako eventually finds out?