Love Letter

Kinuyo Tanaka's 1953 Japanese film was the first directed by Tanaka, known as an actor, and is counted as the first successful film directed by a woman in Japanese cinema. Reikichi, returned from the war, translates letters Japanese women write to American servicemen while searching for the woman he lost. Keisuke Kinoshita wrote the screenplay. What makes the film interesting is showing relationships during the occupation without moral judgement; the story does not share Reikichi's anger, and the woman's own reasoning is heard. The telling is calm and avoids the trap of melodrama. It screened in competition at Cannes. Who it's for: viewers interested in Japanese classics and the post-war period. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a fast narrative, or who would rather not watch without the social context of the period.