Akitsu Onsen

IShot in magnificent colors and in widescreen format, this Yoshida melodrama saw the director working for the first time with actress Mariko Okada, who later became his partner in both work and life. A soldier returned from World War Two recuperates from tuberculosis in an inn near a healing spring, where he is cared for by the innkeeper’s daughter. The love story that unfolds between them—he an increasingly cynical intellectual and Shinko a steadfast believer in love—spans 17 years and yet remains unfulfilled. What emerges instead is a gradual disillusionment—not only with love, but also with dreams, ideas, and political beliefs.

After studying literature, Kiju (Yoshishige) Yoshida (1933–2022) joined Studio Shochiku, where he filmed his debut in 1960 and, together with Nagisa Oshima and Masahiro Shinoda, became one of the main representatives of Japan’s Nouvelle Vague. An innovative stylist and astute critic (and thinker) of cinematic forms and themes, his films are characterized by a philosophical depth.