Early Summer

Traditional Japan and Western modernity subtly clash within the household of young Noriko in post World War II Japan. Surrounded by loving older parents, a married brother, his wife and their children, Noriko maintains her modern ways, despite familial pressure to marry and settle down. This theme, so often approached by Yasujiro Ozu, is played out here in a series of episodes, highlighting the intricacies of every day Japanese life. Noriko lives an almost American lifestyle, working at an office, communing with sassy female friends. The plot is at times minimal, as in several other Ozu films, but the characters come alive as the film progresses, developing a whole world within Noriko's family and office life. As her boss and family pressure her to marry a forty-year-old bachelor, Noriko makes her own plans. (official distributor synopsis)