The Munekata Sisters

Japanese golden-age greats Kinuyo Tanaka and Hideko Takamine star in this rich melodrama centered on two sisters: the reserved, traditional Setsuko (Tanaka), unhappily married to an alcoholic wastrel, and the liberated, modern-minded Mariko (Takamine), who tries to shake up her sister’s life by reconnecting her with her old flame (Ken Uehara). Working outside his usual home studio of Shochiku for the first time at rival Shintoho gives director Yasujiro Ozu’s familiar themes a new flavor.