The Girl in the Rumor

Sachiko Chiba. and Ryuko Umezono are sisters. Their father runs a sake shop founded by his father, who has retired. The father's mistress has her own business, which is undergoing some problems. Meanwhile, husbands are being sought for the girls.

It sounds like a post-war Ozu comedy, doesn't it? However, while Ozu's movies were comedies about how the parents sweetly set things up so matters run smoothly, this is a Naruse movie, and this director is more interested in the how and why of things not working out smoothly. So, in the face of ever-changing Japan, some of the changes include father changing the recipe for sake; family is not what holds the world together in the face of change, but the causes of change that impel a descent into chaos.

The Girl in the Rumour is a drama about a family that runs a sake store that once had a high reputation but is starting to hit hard times. The main characters are the father, who married into the business, and his two daughters: Kunie, who is old fashioned and devoted to her father and the family business, and Kumiko, who is selfish and rude to everyone around her. Matters come to a head when the father and his brother try to arrange a marriage for Kunie with a wealthy young man. One of the things I liked about the movie is that it started out as a fairly light-hearted drama, but got darker as the movie progressed. The characters are all interesting and the actors portraying them do a great job. A short, but well crafted gem.