57
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasAn exquisite period film from a script Akira Kurosawa did not live to direct. It has a softer edge than the master probably would have delivered, but it is deeply affecting.
- 80Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanA mostly unsentimental little gem.
- 75Boston GlobeJanice PageBoston GlobeJanice PageAs rich and literary a work as you might expect.
- 75Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam ArnoldSeattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam ArnoldAn absorbing slice of a lost world that's actually very reminiscent of Kurosawa's underappreciated 1957 film, "The Lower Depths."
- 70The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottFortunately, Mr. Kumai, who himself has shown no aversion to baroque melodrama, leans here toward a plain and direct style that is tasteful and intelligent, a boon, given the predictability of the story. He understands the difference between pitiable and pitiful.
- 60Washington PostStephen HunterWashington PostStephen HunterIt has the big themes that obsessed Kurosawa at his greatest, and that alone makes it worthwhile.
- 50L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorDespite a hopelessly corny score, the movie is redeemed by a goofily touching final scene.
- 50New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoThe screen comes alive only at the end, when a frightening tornado destroys the seaside village.
- 40The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThough the episodic, low-key action bears a resemblance to Kurosawa's Madadayo -- his little-seen, underrated final film -- neither the characters nor the plot lend it even a hint of dynamism.