Overview
A poignant exploration of love and longing amidst the struggles of everyday life.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- austere
- intimate
- quiet evening
- classic cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praise Ozu’s meticulously detailed portrait of white-collar life, emotional isolation, and postwar Japanese modernization, especially its subtle characterization.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Shôji’s office life and marriage are presented as tightly regulated routines that intensify his isolation.
The film contrasts postwar urban routines with emotional dislocation and examines both blind modernization and decadent tradition.
Masako, Shôji, and Chiyo’s feelings emerge through small details, pauses, and restrained interactions.
The central conflict is Masako and Shôji’s passionless marriage and the consequences of Shôji’s affair with Chiyo.
Films like Early Spring, and why
Tokyo Story
quiet marital alienation, postwar social observation, restrained domestic drama
The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice
white-collar ennui, changing postwar Japan, understated relationship conflict
Late Spring
measured domestic realism, emotional estrangement, modernizing Japanese society
Wife! Be Like a Rose!
adultery, isolation, and psychologically precise middle-class relationship drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Yasujirō Ozu
- Release Date
- 1956-01-29
- Runtime
- 145 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (99)
Cast
- Chikage Awashima
- Ryō Ikebe
- Keiko Kishi
- Teiji Takahashi
- Chishū Ryū
- So Yamamura
- Haruko Sugimura
- Takako Fujino
- Daisuke Katō
- Masami Taura
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Early Spring about?
- In postwar Tokyo, a quiet office worker’s affair exposes the loneliness and fragile routines underlying his stagnant marriage.
- What is Early Spring like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Early Spring as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Early Spring violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Early Spring.
- What did critics think of Early Spring?
- Critics broadly praise Ozu’s meticulously detailed portrait of white-collar life, emotional isolation, and postwar Japanese modernization, especially its subtle characterization.
- Which films are like Early Spring?
- Films with a similar feel include Tokyo Story, The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice, Late Spring, and Wife! Be Like a Rose!.
- How long is Early Spring?
- Early Spring runs 145 minutes.
- Where can I watch Early Spring?
- In United States, Early Spring streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max.
