A Story of Floating Weeds (1934) Yasujiro Ozu, dir.

I’ve been going back and watching a few silent films.  The usual Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin but I was delighted and surprisingly teary while watching A Story of Floating Weeds (1934).  In this silent tale a troupe of traveling actors make their way to another small town to make art and theatre for the local village.  The head actor has a secret family in this village.  His son thinks his father is a deceased bureaucrat. While the rain and audiences keep them trapped inside, trouble brews and the lead actress is out for sport and revenge, wreaking havoc with many people’s lives.  Watching silent films and foreign films are much the same but it was such a natural acting style and great storyline that I barely noticed title cards vs. subtitles.  The ending was very touching and made me cry.  Ozu is a master storyteller.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/c570423kdG4?si=uYPvztq9JRPrqU_G

Chapter & Scene is your daily stop for cozy, intelligent reviews of books, movies, and TV shows. Each weekday we share a short, spoiler-free recommendation designed to help you discover your next great story. Whether you’re looking for a novel to curl up with, a binge-worthy series, or a film worth watching, our reviews combine thoughtful insight with genuine enthusiasm for storytelling. Subscribe to get fresh reviews delivered straight to your inbox, and explore our growing archive of book and screen recommendations.