As one of director Yasujiro Ozu’s most beloved films, Late Spring tells the story of a widowed father and adult daughter who are content with their domestic life, yet the impermanence of all things will stand in their way. Noriko, played by Setsuko Hara, declines the opportunity to get married because she wants to dedicate her life to taking care of her father, Shukichi, played by Chishu Ryu, who comes to understand that he must sacrifice for the future of her daughter. Ozu masterfully depicts the delicate feelings of his protagonists with elliptical storytelling and precise composition. Inspired by this film and the relationship between her mother and her maternal grandfather, Claire Denis directed 35 Shots of Rum (2008), transporting the enduring spirit of Late Spring to modern-day France.

Yasujiro Ozu (1903–1963, Japan) started his career as an assistant at Shochiku Studios. He directed his first feature, Sword of Penitence (1927), with a script by Noda Kōgo, who would co-write more than a dozen of Ozu’s films. The director’s silent films, including Tokyo Chorus (1931) and I Was Born, But . . . (1932) garnered him critical acclaim in the early years of his career. Returning to Japan after serving in World War II, he focused on making domestic dramas, such as Late Spring (1949), Early Summer (1951), and Tokyo Story (1953). Ozu’s simple yet unmistakable style—a static camera, low-angle shots (aka the ’tatami shot’), and visual symmetry—makes him one of the most enduring masters of the medium. He died a year after he completed An Autumn Afternoon (1962).