Floating Weeds(OBS)

Ozu Yasujiro’s FLOATING WEEDS (1959) is a remake of his own A STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS (1934). Shot in Mie Prefecture, Ozu’s second hometown, the film recounts the arrival of a travelling theatre troupe in a seaside small town to perform kabuki plays. During their stay, troupe leader Komajuro reconnects with his love child Kiyoshi, who doesn’t know the man is his father. Their reunion leads to the jealousy of Komajuro’s current mistress Sumiko, and things start to get complicated… In his only collaboration with Ozu, master cinematographer Miyagawa Kazuo (RASHOMON, UGETSU) takes the Ozuesque static, deep focus shots to a next level. Not only does the gorgeous colour cinematography accentuate the beauty of the landscapes, sets and costumes, but it also highlights the delicacy of the actresses’ nuanced performances, and makes the film a better version of the same story in terms of its portrayal of characters. Presented in 4K restoration.