This is a charming film that has no philiosophical profundity for the "meaning gophers". Since I feel it is unfair to file it away under one category or another ("relationship drama", "romantic comedy", etc. etc.), I shall only limit my comments to a few observations.
- The melodrama in this film is largely faithful to life, paying attention to issues most soap operas would not deign to address, such as financial insecurity, such as the peculiar pains from having to live with inconsiderate relatives in moments of personal crisis.
- One sees the usual Naruse touch: the heroine is not positioned as a virtuous tear-jerker, but a survivor. She keeps trying to pull herself out of the sad entrapment, yet she is doomed to fail.
- The emotional depth of the film is conveyed through excellent acting in the part of 司叶子. 所谓怨而不怒,哀而不伤. 中国银幕久已不复得见,却一再邂逅于小津,成濑，就是"礼失求诸野"罢.
