Yearning

『乱れる』 
Midareru

Imported 35mm Print. Quiet passions erupt from within in Naruse’s late period masterpiece, a sumptuous melodrama of undulating and repressed feeling, set as the postwar dispersal of modernization stretches beyond Tokyo. Widow Reiko (Takamine) runs her in-law’s produce store, having rebuilt it herself in the 18 years since his passing, but faces a sudden outburst of new pressures: a push to remarry, fierce competition from a newly-minted supermarket and a love confession from her dead husband’s much younger brother Koji (Yuzo Kayama). Scripted by Takamine’s husband Zenzo Matsuyama, Yearning finds devastating power in its tragic underpinnings as Takamine’s expressions—noted by even the faint glimmer of her eyes—convey multitudes—desire, melancholy and, as the film’s Japanese original title suggests, a swell of confusion in the wake of newfound longing.

Print courtesy of The Japan Foundation.

Dir. Mikio Naruse, 1964, 98 min., 35mm, b&w, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Hideko Takamine, Yuzo Kayama. Screenplay by Zenzo Matsuyama.

Part of Mikio Naruse: The World Betrays Us – Part I 
May 9—31, 2025

© 1964 Toho Co., Ltd.

Mikio Naruse: The World Betrays Us is co-presented with Metrograph and The Japan Foundation, New York.

Special Thanks to Mako Fukata; Akinaru Rokkaku & Shun Inoue (Japan Foundation, New York); Brian Belovarac (Janus Films); Miki Zeze (Kadokawa); Rikako Kosugiyama (National Film Archive of Japan); Tony Stella; Shion Komatsu & Go Onishi (Toho Co. Ltd.).

Mikio Naruse: The World Betrays Us – Part I is generously supported by The John and Miyoko Davey Endowment Fund for Classic Japanese Film.

Japan Society’s 120th anniversary initiatives and related programs are generously supported by Champion Sponsor, MUFG Bank, Ltd.; Advocate Sponsor, Mizuho Americas; and Friend Sponsor, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas).

Japan Society programs are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Film programs are generously supported by ORIX Corporation USA, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Anime NYC and Yen Press. Endowment support is provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund and The John and Miyoko Davey Endowment Fund. Additional season support is provided by The Globus Family, George P. Hirose, David Toberisky, Joseph Rajaratnam and Dharshini Iolanthe Sivakumaran, and Film Circle members.

Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the official Japanese airline sponsor of Japan Society Film Program. Housing assistance is provided by the Prince Kitano New York, the official hotel sponsor of Japan Society Film Program.