A Japanese Tragedy (1953)

Caught in the oscillation of time between the aftermath of World War II and the year 1953, Haruko, a widow, battles the odds to protect and provide for her offspring - the spirited Utako and the ambitious Seiichi. As the years fast forward to 1953, the once dependent children are on the brim of adulthood, harboring a growing resentment towards their mother. They interpret their past through a prism of abandonment, seeing Haruko as a mother who traded their well being for her pleasures. Meanwhile, Haruko, ensnared in self-pity, perceives her journey as a series of sacrifices, enduring disgrace and suffering for her children's sake. As Seiichi, now engrossed in his medical studies, reveals his decision to embrace a life of affluence through adoption by a wealthy man, and Utako contemplates absconding with her married English tutor, one can't help but wonder - what path remains for the forsaken Haruko in this Japanese tragedy?

A Japanese Tragedy is a drama movie featuring Keiji Sada.

A Japanese Tragedy is currently streaming on Criterion Channel.