Name: Onna no za
Genre: Drama
Released: 1962-11-09
Duration: 1 h 51 min
Rating: 7.4
Cast: Hideko Takamine, Yôko Tsukasa, Yuriko Hoshi

I didn't get the appeal of this movie. I'd mostly call it a slice of life and not a particularly interesting one. To a westerner, it's certainly interesting to see a Japanese family from 1960 and to a modern person it's interesting to hear about divorce leading to zero contact if you don't get custody (note: that's was still common up to 2022 in Japan, not sure it was uncommon in other parts of the world in 1960 though)

In any case. A big family, Mom, Dad, 4 daughters, 1 daughter in law, 1 grandson, 1 son, and 1 from a previous marriage, all go through different issues. One is super independent and never had a relationship but finally falls for someone. Another has to choose between 2 suiters. One is struggling with a ramen shop. Another is out of a job, not sure what to do and hoping the family will help.

The ending and what each of them do is not really resolved ... the end

There's no words of wisdom, no real messages except maybe life is messy and people do the best they can.

So, I didn't hate it and as someone that speaks Japanese and lived in Japan for 15 years I found parts of it interesting but overall I didn't get why it's rated 7.6. It seemed kind of forgettable.

If you want old Japanese movies that will stay with you see Ikiru, Woman in the Dunes, Tokyo Story. That last one, Tokyo Story, is similar to this one, just a family. But, at least the message will never leave you unlike here where there is no message.

Japanese cinema is celebrated for its refined minimalist dramas and avant-garde experimentation; it also introduced popular genres like jidaigeki (samurai epics), kaiju, and anime. Across both high art and mass entertainment, it often explores morality, impermanence, and the pressures of modern life.

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The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

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