In "Repast", Michiyo(Setsuko Hara), a housewife, lives in a suburb of Osaka, with her husband of five years, Hatsunosuke(Ken Uehara), a stockbroker. They were married in Tokyo and moved to Osaka two years later, following a job transfer. One day, their neice, Satoko(Yukiko Shimazaki), shows up on their doorstep
unannounced from Tokyo, apparently trying to put some distance between her and her strict father. All through this, Michiyo feels rather dissatisfied with the way things are going in her life.Directed by Mikio Naruse, "Repast" is a glimpse into postwar Japan when social mobility was just starting to become more commonplace, even if the economy was stagnant with high unemployment. The main conflict in the movie is between modern and traditional attitudes. An episodic, meandering style definitely lessens any impact it might otherwise have had.
May 1, 2006
