Very much a "new wave" melodrama, there are strong feminist and Oedipal overtones in this. The mother is played by the director's wife, Mariko Okado (who some may know from her roles in Ozu films). Written by Ishizaka Yojiro, a very popular Japanese author who became well known with the "new Japan" through his serial novel, "Blue Mountain Range" (which of his novels this film is based on, and whether it's available translated into English, I have little idea). The story is very simple, in that you're told that a mother and son have a strong, almost sexual, bond through moments present and past. The father of the past (who has died of Tuberculosis, revealed shockingly), the mother's current liaison, and the son's wife all re-enforce roles of sexual inadequacy with the two main characters (Mother, Shizuko, and son, Shizuo). Time is blended together, and the film ends up being an incredibly interesting melodrama with much of the (Japanese new wave staple) political put on backburner. A subplot involving the son's lack of sexual interest in his wife, and his mother's lack of sexual fulfillment in her lover (husband to be, I'm not sure) adds to the development of the incest tone. Highly recommended (seen without subtitles though, it's available in R2 Japan DVD, NTSC format, from Geneon).
Steven
Steven