Early Spring

In the 1950s, Japan was busy rebuilding itself after the ravages of the Second World War. Life was harsh, with little prospects for the future and often little money even for people who did have a job. Through the adventures of a poorly paid and philandering office worker, Ozu shows what such a life was like, with warmth, humour and empathy for the hard workers at the lower rungs of the corporate hierarchy's ladder.

Shoji Sugiyama wakes and goes about his morning routine, is served breakfast by his wife Masako and then heads for Tokyo to his office job in a brick manufacturing company. During a company trip, his colleague Chiyo Kaneko, nicknamed "Goldfish", makes obvious advances. They eventually strike up a love affair. Though Masako suspects something is amiss, she is reluctant to confront her husband. After Shoji fails to remember the anniversary of their son's death, she has reached her last straw with him.