Red Beard (1965)

In the dawn of the nineteenth century, a young and ambitious Dr. Noboru Yasumoto finds himself unexpectedly summoned from his Nagasaki internship to the humble, rural Koishikawa Medical Clinic. The clinic, under the stern and commanding direction of Dr. Kyojô Niide, known colloquially as "Red Beard" due to his fiery facial hair, serves the less fortunate, providing medical care to the impoverished and disadvantaged of the region. Yasumoto, who had been anticipating an elevated position with a shogunate due to his social standing, is taken aback when he's informed he’s to commence work at the clinic immediately, living amongst the staff on site. Feeling cheated by fate, Yasumoto suspects a conspiracy behind his abrupt transfer, conjecturing that it's either Red Beard's scheme to exploit his detailed professional notes, or a ploy by the father of a female acquaintance to distance him from her. His displeasure at his new arrangement is palpable and he makes no effort to conceal it. However, as Yasumoto begins to immerse himself in the clinic's environment, observing Red Beard's unconventional medical methods, getting acquainted with the poignant tales of the in-patients, and being assigned his first patient - Otoyo, a twelve-year-old girl, orphaned and raised in a harsh brothel, he may find his perspective on medicine and life itself undergoing a profound transformation.

Red Beard is a drama movie featuring Toshirō Mifune.

Red Beard is currently streaming on Criterion Channel, Max and Max Amazon Channel.