Apart from You

I really enjoyed this straightforward story of two hardworking working girls. Naruse's great camera-work and expressive actors conveys the hard life, physically and emotionally, of working girls and the positive and negative sides of family ties. Never sentimental, carefully chosen scenes brilliantly illustrate an effective if familiar story of decline and fall, or rather fall and decline.

Naruse can be a little claustrophobic and hermetic, even static, but switches of location keep the story fresh and each scene moves the story along.

Relationships are entirely credible and dialogue (intertitles for this silent movie) is dramatic and appropriate.

On a personal note, look out for the ever so cute No. 2 actress Sumiko Mizukubo, the 'Japanese Sylvia Sydney' apparently, on account of 'her small size and the shape of her lips'.