A Story of Floating Weeds 1934

A Story of Floating Weeds

Ukigusa monogatari

1934 · Japan · Directed by Yasujirō Ozu · 86 min

GentleBleak Great first watch · Moderate

A travelling actor returns to a provincial town, where an old relationship and an unacknowledged son disturb the troupe’s temporary calm.

What to expect

Ozu builds the drama from low viewpoints, doorways, pauses, and small changes in who occupies a room. The story’s apparent simplicity reveals how performance can protect affection while also preventing honesty.

How to ease in

The pace is quiet but the relationships are clear. Notice who is allowed to name the past, and how the troupe’s arrival makes a settled town feel provisional.

Heads-up

A quick, non-exhaustive note Includes parental abandonment, deception, family conflict, a staged fight, and period attitudes towards women and itinerant performers.
Momo's Note May contain spoilers Who is Momo? →

A travelling actor returns to a provincial town, where an old relationship and an unacknowledged son disturb the troupe’s temporary calm.

I keep watching the spaces between father and son. They are often close enough to share a frame, yet the missing name between them makes the distance feel enormous.

Open the note ↓

I keep watching the spaces between father and son. They are often close enough to share a frame, yet the missing name between them makes the distance feel enormous.

— Momo

Momo thinking about this film

Credits & versions

Version map

Criterion presentation86 min86 minutes is attached only to the named Criterion presentation. No edition, cut, score, territory, frame rate, source element, or restoration detail is inferred.Runtime reference · Checked 2026-08-20

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