This film was contemporary at the time, as it involves resistance to the changes in the post war period. A young schoolgirl is seen spending time with an older boy and some of her classmates try to trick her by writing a note telling her to meet after school. The teacher Miss Shimazaki (the always great Setsuko Hara)calls the girls on their behavior. Basically, she states that it is okay for them to be with boys. The girls protest. Others are drawn in with their own opinions, including the local doctor, whose opinion has become more progressive as the film goes on. This is an interesting character study about a time when tradition was beginning to be challenged, even as it pertains to relationships. What seems quaint now was at the time very much a tug of war between people. Playing ostensibly a feminist, Ms. Hara is trying to get the girls to not just settle for a life where they will marry and eventually be miserable, since they will more or less be subservient to their husbands . In this context, the film triumphs, but it is a film of its time. Still, this film was made just before Late Spring, one of Ms. Hara's greatest films, in which she ironically plays the daughter of the great Chishu Ryu and is, in effect, a very traditional lady. Late Spring is an excellent character study of mores. This film tackles it in a different way. It is not as compelling as Late Spring, but it is certainly worth watching.
Review of Aoi sanmyaku
