Repast

Repast
Meshi
Japan
1951
97 Min
Black and White
1.37:1
Japanese
DIR Mikio Naruse
EXEC Sanezumi Fujimoto
SCR Yasunari Kawabata, Fumiko Hayashi
DP Masao Tamai
CAST Setsuko Hara, Ken Uehara, Yukiko Shimazaki, Yôko Sugi
MUSIC Fumio Hayasaka
My Rating: 5/5

Repast is a remarkable film in Naruse’s brilliant oeuvre. It is unique because of its approach which is largely driven by its visuals rather than dialogue. The dialogue is sparse but the expressions and body language of the actors speak volumes. There are times when even the voice over of Michiyo (Setsuko Hara) appears vain(especially in the end) as the visuals are conveying everything to us.

Repast is the story of a couple Hatsunosuke Okamoto( Ken Uehara) and Michiyo Okamoto who live in Osaka. Hatsunosuke works as a broker in a stock firm and Michiyo plays the traditional housewife. Michiyo and Hatsunosuke had a love marriage but as is the case with married life, the romance between them has died off as they get used to each other’s company and hence take each other for granted. The daily chores of housekeeping are taking their toll on Michiyo as she fondly remembers her life in Tokyo where she was a working woman. Hatsunosuke seems to have got so involved in his daily routine that he forgets to think about his wife. He only seems to remember her during meal times when he always happens to be starving. Michiyo envies the lives of her friends, some of whom are spinsters but strangely they seem to envy Michiyo’s life as a married woman. The grass always appears greener on the other side and Michiyo’s condition seems to emphasise this cliched yet significant fact of life. It is with this background that we are introduced to Satoko (Hatsunosuke’s niece) who pays a visit to her uncle after running away from her home in Tokyo. Satoko represents the modern female; flirtatious and carefree in attitude and doesn’t mind flirting with older men including her uncle. It is Satoko’s behaviour that further depresses Michiyo as she thinks her husband is reciprocating Satoko’s advances(which is actually not the case) and feels that there is no love between the two of them anymore. Michiyo decides to take Satoko with her to Tokyo where she stays at her maternal home. The warmth and rest that she receives, help her recover from the fatigue but she can’t help thinking about how her husband must be managing back home in Osaka. When Michiyo sees one of her friends in Tokyo (a war widow with a young child) struggling to make a living she suddenly realises how much more simpler her life was as a married woman. Eventually Hatsunosuke himself comes to Tokyo on a business trip and asks Michiyo if she is ready to come back home. Michiyo is happy to see her husband after the long gap and in the end seems to realise where her happiness really lies as she accompanies her husband back home to Osaka. As they are travelling back home on the train, Michiyo fondly glances upon her sleeping husband who appears like a grown up baby to her who is so helpless without her whether it is for food, keeping things organized at home, or even regarding important decisions like changing his job. It is probably this very thing that she loves the most about her husband.

Repast is a reflection on the role of a woman as a home maker. Through Michiyo’s character and her eventual realization the film maker seems to point out the significance of a woman’s role in a family. The men in the house are doing their duty of earning a living for the family members and the woman by supporting and taking care of their husbands are helping them to do their duty successfully. It is when we reflect upon the pleasure of working for each other’s happiness that even life’s monotony starts appearing sublime.

The ideas of traditional family values and roles as shown in the film might appear old fashioned for the modern generation but then maybe thats the reason modern families are so vulnerable today.