Floating Weeds

Ozu's underrated masterpiece Floating Weeds is yet another example of the great director's artistic precision and incomparable style. One sultry summer's day, a small traveling Kabuki theatre company, led by their star actor, Komajuro, arrives in a sleepy seaside town in southern Japan. But it soon becomes obvious that Komajuro has ties to this... More »

Ozu's underrated masterpiece Floating Weeds is yet another example of the great director's artistic precision and incomparable style.

One sultry summer's day, a small traveling Kabuki theatre company, led by their star actor, Komajuro, arrives in a sleepy seaside town in southern Japan. But it soon becomes obvious that Komajuro has ties to this town, leaving the troupe to visit with his former lover and her teenaged son, Kiyoshi, who has been led to believe that Komajuro is his uncle.

In the meantime, Komajuro's current mistress, Sumiko, is seething with jealousy. To exact her revenge, Sumiko pays a fellow actress, Kayo, to seduce Kiyoshi, knowing full well that Komajuro would not want his son mixed up with such a wanton woman. But when Kayo and Kiyoshi fall in love, Komajuro finds himself caught in a difficult position: how should he exert his authority while keeping his true relationship with Kiyoshi a secret? Less «