A harsh reality is that many of Japan's earliest years of filmmaking are forever lost, most of which were destroyed in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and the firebombings of World War II. Movies that merely live on as historical memories include many of the early pictures of renowned filmmakers, such as Yasujiro Ozu. Yet, thankfully a small amount of Japanese silent cinema still survives. One notable work is “Apart from You,” an early gem directed by Mikio Naruse and one of the country's first features to show struggles and hardships from the perspective of women.
A mother named Kikue works as a geisha to earn money for a living and help support her teen son Yoshio. However, her offspring is ashamed of her work profession, which strains their relationship, all while he's skipping classes and getting involved in gangs. Ironically, the troubled youth is close to his mom's younger colleague Terugiku, whose relationship starts as platonic but slowly escalates with time. He begins questioning his actions when he witnesses Terugiku's parent's cold and judgemental treatment of her. At the same time, Kikue deals with her internal battles and longing to reconnect with her distanced child.
With this being an early feature by Mikio Naruse, it's quite experimental, particularly in its cinematography and editing. However, that is not a bad thing. “Apart from You” is a beautiful film that is well-made and tells a touching story of love and acceptance while also being one of the country's earliest features to showcase the societal climate from the perspective of women. Throughout his filmmaking career, Naruse frequently told stories of women's struggles in Japanese society. Carrying the movie are great performances by Mitsuki Yoshikawa, Akio Isono, and Sumiko Mizukubo.
