Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Spoiler-free premise
In the post-WWII Japan, the twenty-seven year-old Noriko Somiya lives a simple but happy life with her fifty-seven year-old widower father.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
Twenty-seven-year-old Noriko lives contentedly in Kamakura with widowed father Shukichi, managing their home and resisting marriage. Relatives and friends press Shukichi to arrange a match, forcing both father and daughter to confront their dependence and social expectation.
Why it belongs
Through low camera placement, domestic routine, offscreen ellipsis, and Hara and Ryū's exquisitely restrained affection, Late Spring makes family change profound.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
Tatami-level rooms, bicycles, tea, Noh theater, empty interiors, and seasonal objects give ordinary time weight—Setsuko Hara's radiant smile and Chishū Ryū's quiet pauses carry feelings their characters protect each other from naming.
Major award wins
No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.
Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.
Institutional reference ranks
Sight & Sound21IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score
Great Cinema Master List scores
Greatness9.6
Engagement8.2
Ease7.8
Japanese · Not Rated Narrative Feature Mood: Absorbing & Reflective
